Covers
by bloopy
Summary: Goren and Eames are put undercover soon after Goren's return from suspension. Will feelings left under the surface bubble up to create a rift in their partnership or make them realize how much they mean to each other? BA the good stuff
1. Lunch and Lack

"Bobby?"

At this time Robert Goren was not thinking about the case at hand: a murder that had occurred at one of Manhattan's richest socialite's dinner parties. He was not concentrating on his brother's recent gambling spree or alcohol abuse, or the nephew he had literally put his job on the line for months before. He was not even thinking about the woman across from him, although thoughts of that nature often crossed his mind these days as they worked together feverishly on the case.

In fact, the only particular thing he was concentrating on right now was his sandwich, filled with deli meats, pickles, spicy mustard, and a sprinkling of tomatoes clasped between two parts of an Italian baguette.

"Bobby?"

He looked up at his partner as he took a bite, taking in her inquisitive gaze for only a second before his taste palate got the better of him. _Mmmm…_he mused, closing his eyes to fully comprehend the flavors that were swirling together in his mouth, a mixture of the pastrami and the dill, the yellow and the red and the honey colored golden that was his lunch. In that moment a deep contented moan sounded from his throat as he savored and then a gentle hum as he swallowed.

"Bobby!"

And the woman on the other side of the paired desks was intent on distracting him.

He put the six-incher down and sat up after brushing his lips with a napkin.

"Yes, Eames?"

"Someone's on the phone for you…says they know something about Ellen Garner's whereabouts the night of Paige's death." Looking back down at his sandwich dreamily, he resigned to the fact that today's lunch was going to have to be put aside for later pleasure. "I could always tell them to call back if _that_ is occupying more than five minutes of your time?"

"I, um, no…I'll take it now."

With that he reached towards his desk phone and dialed the number 9.

…….

_He's too quiet, _she thought as she watched him begin to communicate with a person on the lower end of MC's totem pole. _He was never this passive before…before the suspension._

Alexandra Eames was chewing on a bit of something herself, although she found it less savory than her counterpart's sandwich- that _something_ just happened to be the over two hundred pounds of suit and muscle who was chatting nonchalantly over the phone and her suspicion that not everything was as all right with Goren as he was letting on.

Their relationship had always been an interesting one. He was the often referred to as the Sherlock to her Watson, so to speak, the brain with the grounded…a reference that she admittedly did not like very much. "It makes me sound like the sidekick," she had complained to Bobby once before.

"You are hardly a sidekick Eames," he replied, then going off into a beaten up and obviously over-read paperback copy of Crime and Punishment. Far from popular belief, Bobby only made long winded references during cases or when gathering information…

…Eames knew that because of the other side of their relationship, the kindred spirit side. They talked about things that most partners of two years wouldn't dream of revealing, mainly because their excellent record of companionship spanned more than seven. Through work and through at first reluctant but constantly expanding friendship they began to know things about each other's personal lives: family, loves, losses…and in so doing they became part of each other's real worlds.

So even though they were partners they were also in a strange way linked as close and best friends.

That is, until Robert Goren left his badge behind him for a three month long inquisition and suspension.

One day she had seen him in the hospital. His face was pale and tight from the dehydration he had endured at the hands of other badges. His lips were chapped and bleeding. He was hooked up to an IV in the Intensive Care Unit for close observation.

She wanted to reach out and touch him, to comfort him even in his dreams that everything would be okay, that the nightmares would cease. But keeping a professional distance she watched his eyelids flicker and pucker and tense with each thought as he was drugged with sedatives. So she walked towards to door to make her exit.

_I might as well have sealed the door on that chapter of our lives._ She took another look at her partner, who was now turned away and deep in conversation. He had essentially kept that door closed by not responding to her calls to check up on him, or by ignoring her invitations for lunch under the guise that she needed help for whatever current case. And when the brass finally came to their senses and let him back on probation, a quarter of a year had gone by and he'd changed.

Sure he'd been friendly and kind, apologizing for not returning her calls, saying he had "family issues"…but that was it. There was no more reading between the lines. He hadn't let her in since. As far as their relationship went, he was just her partner. The familiarity was gone.

Oddly enough, it was the familiarity she had missed. The familiarity was what she continued to miss.

And right then and there, she decided that she wasn't going to let herself miss it any longer-

"Goren! Eames!"

For that moment, both of their musings had to be put aside.


	2. Uncompliant

"So, as you can see, we've hit a stand-still," Alex finished explaining.

"And that leaves us with no perp and no means of finding them?" Ross responded.

"Well, as far as I can tell-"

"Not quite." The two turned to Bobby, who was thinking intently. He pulled out a legal pad and began flipping through pages until he hit what he was looking for. "Our victim was small, five foot two, five foot four in heels. She was wealthy. She was thin."

"And therefore was desirable and defenseless, we know!" said the impatient captain, who had been interrupted from his lunch with a telephone call as well and considerably less compliant about it than Goren.

"Well, she fit the profile of a damsel in distress, but by no means does that mean she was as innocent as that name implies." He flipped the pad shut. "Paige Garner was a live wire; she had numerous trysts with various men, all loaded…but something about her husband made her committed, faithful, and I suspect that it was because he was worth about ten times any of them. She attended her sister's dinner party with the richest man she'd ever been with in a room full of her rejects and their jealous wives…I think we can use a process of elimination here, Captain."

"We already checked Ellen and she came out clean. Admitted that her sister was not always the most popular but was by no means hated enough to be killed." Ross crossed his arms and sat back on his desk. "She insists that we leave her be."

"And with a cash cow army in real estate that she's sitting on," Eames picked up, "the higher ups won't want us making this into any bigger of a spectacle."

Bobby's nose crinkled at the mention of his superiors, just enough for Alex to tell but slight enough that Ross didn't pick up on it. "Who say's this has to be a spectacle?"

The captain's ears pricked up. "What do you mean, detective?"

"Obviously any of the upper crust of Manhattan are going to lawyer up if they have to deal with the police, so…"

_Oh no._

"Let's not make them."

_Oh no no no no no._

"Eames and I will pose as new money from, I don't know, Michigan, let's go with a steel plant. We'll set it in an apartment, have a get together…I'm sure with a little prodding Ellen will be more than happy to comply to save herself from said 'spectacle'."

_This is not-_

"We'll have her and her friends there to chat with, giving us a chance to observe them and hopefully to see what tensions might arise."

_There's no way, not so soon after his suspension. I can't read him. The captain won't-_

"Interesting. What would be your cover?"

_What?_

"The wealth, the in, and the new marriage would be all the cover we'd need."

_Bobby. Me. Married._

_With how we're acting now this isn't possible._

"Excuse me?" Eames pitched in. "When was I asked about any of this?"

Both her overly eager boss and her antsy partner remained silent.

"First of all, in order for us to do this I would have to consent. In order for me to consent, I would be agreeing to let you use me as bait."

"Don't think I don't see where you're going where you're going with this, Goren. She was small, skinny…I'm supposed to be the one they are going to want to hate?"

_And I don't know if I can trust you yet. _

Bobby looked as if he'd retreated back into the tortoise shell that he'd been under since he'd come back. " I was just suggesting, Eames. It's not like we've never done this before."

_But we've changed. You've changed._

"Goren is right Eames. This is the best way to handle it; I don't like using you two so…_freshly back together_…but it might be the only way to seek Paige's killer and keep the public at bay."

_And I guess I'm the only one who's noticed._

"Be here tomorrow at 7 am."

The two left the office, married but not communicating.


	3. The Upper Crust and The Bottom Line

_Fuck._

Alex was standing stiffly in a cocktail dress, which rode slightly higher than she was comfortable with. The modest front did not excuse the plunging cut of the back, which was all she could think about…

…seeing as this stranger, her partner of seven years, had his arm wrapped around it and his hand resting on her waist. If it had been six months ago she would have felt more than comfortable with this charade, as their many guests made their way around the formal living room, as long as Bobby was there. The only problem was this man was not _her_ Bobby. This was his post separation replacement-self.

She wondered if she could take much more of the new Goren when his voice brought her back to reality.

"Alex, this is Amelia Teppen. Her husband owns Teppen Opals."

"How nice to meet you, Alex, your apartment is stunning."

"Thank you," said Alex, "we just moved here."

_At least I'm not lying- yet._

Normally she would have no problem doing such a charade to catch a perp, but normally she could count on her partner.

This was not one of those times.

"Actually," Bobby said, "she's being modest…she was originally from New York and we moved back for her work."

"What do you do?" Amelia questioned as her husband came up and kissed her cheek.

"She was a model," blurted Bobby before Alex had a chance to move her glossed lips, "but now she has her own advertising agency."

"A model, huh?" said Amelia's husband, his hand on her shoulder. "If you ask me she never should have stopped."

Alex felt Bobby's arm tighten protectively, but she couldn't tell if it was for show or if he was trying to prove his worth. Either way, the feel of his muscle bulging through his suit jacket against the small of her back was making her stomach do foreign flips.

"Thank you," she murmured as she subconsciously leaned in to her partner's one-armed embrace.

"She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," said Bobby, running his thumb along the side of her hip, the fabric rippling and tensing with each shift. Alex closed her eyes for a second before snapping them open. She was still in a room with about thirty potential murderers and her partner, even if it felt…

"Excuse me," she said, sliding out of Goren's grip. "I have to take care of something." She then walked away from the chat as Amelia moved to mingle with other women in the room and Bobby started a conversation with the man. A turn at the hallway provided an escape from the "party" and an in through double doors to the master bedroom. There, a set up of televisions connected to video cameras in the main room recorded and monitored the group of suspects. Not surprisingly, the room was empty; the men in charge decided that it was better to keep the squad in another suite if backup was needed.

_Good,_ Alex thought as she closed the oak doors, _a perfect place for me to put my cop cap back on._

Alex had never thought of herself as a jealous woman. She was always primed and ready to move on. However, this time she found herself realizing exactly why she was longing for something- or exactly whom she was jealous of.

She was jealous of herself, six months ago, who was not only willing to do anything for her partner but knew he was willing to do anything for her; the very same person who now realized how much she had taken for granted the trust between them. She had always known she missed the trust, but maybe now she was realizing something else. Something she was missing more.

That something had to be tucked away as the door creaked open and Bobby slipped into the room.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She noted he sounded more curious than concerned.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm fine. I just needed some air." She sat on the bed and looked at the monitors, noticing a few seconds later as a large weight plopped down next to her.

"The room is full of what we suspected, caddy people roaming in nice clothes and crystals. I've talked to a few of the men and some of the women, and they all seemed to be eyeing you with interest…I don't know if that's because of Paige or if this is the way they normally treat newcomers. I have to admit, I'm not quite-"

"Bobby, what happened when you left?"

It was a thought that came out of her mouth before she realized it had left her mind.

She sat, looking down at her hands resting firmly on her thighs. She didn't expect him to answer and she had no right to ask him. He was under no obligation to tell her.

"Eames," he began and she knew he was going to politely decline to respond.

She didn't expect his hand to drift into her view and gently clasp her left.

"I…I've been trying to keep you out of this as much as possible. I didn't want to get you wrapped up in my problems."

"I know Bobby, I'm sorry. It wasn't my place to-"

"But I have to tell somebody because I don't know what to do if I don't, I can't go on doing this if I don't….and well, you know where it began."

It all started to spill forth: his nights at the hospital, injured and broken; his days prowling the streets for his nephew; his mornings waking up and realizing that he wasn't a cop.

"It was my one solace, you know?" He ran his left hand through his hair. "Suddenly, in a matter of days, it was gone. It was as if all the authority I'd ever had slipped through my fingers like sand and I couldn't get it back. I couldn't find Donnie, I couldn't use the law to stop the officers in that hellhole…I guess I used the law one too many times."

"Bobby," said Alex, marveling at how much he was opening up, "we both used the law one too many times…hell, I'm just as guilty as you are. They should have suspended me too-"

"Alex, it wasn't your fault. It was all on me, and don't call the dock in your pay and the red tag on your record just a slap on the wrist."

The female detective was silent. She simply could not believe it. In a matter of minutes her opinion of her partner had completely changed, and it wasn't his guilty or overburdened conscience that did it.

_He said my name._

Rarely would Bobby ever say her first name; it was always Eames, whether they had experienced a long and tiring day or she had just picked up on a lead. There were times when they were undercover or she was under particular stress that he would utter the two syllable word, but only sometimes, when he was particularly kind he said her name like a calming wind or a first prize, something that was important to him.

_This is the first time since he's come back._

She knew then that this was her Bobby, no holds barred; this was something that had taken him six months to say and was important, but could not have come a day too soon. She also knew that in a few minutes the guests were going to wonder where they were.

"I know what your saying Bobby, but this conversation is going to have to wait another hour or two." She saw him look to the monitor and begin to move his hand out of hers, but she held on tight. He turned to spot her looking him square in the eye. "This conversation will continue, right?"

He smiled, the first genuine grin she had gotten out of him in months. "Yeah, let's go."

……

The rest of the party went on without a hitch. They played their roles comfortably and for the first time in a long time, snaglessly. At the end of the night, as they saw their last pair of guests out the door, Bobby looked down at the loaner watch he was given for the part, incrusted with crystals: 11:15 PM.

"It's late, we should head down to suite where half of Major Case is waiting."

He walked towards the door, noticing as he stepped through the elaborate frame that his partner was no longer beside him. He looked back to see her sitting on the chaise lounge, her head resting on an uncomfortable looking pillow. Bobby stepped back inside and gently closed the door, walking towards Alex and sitting across from her on a loveseat. They sat in silence for a few moments, Bobby fiddling around with the ivory chess set on the coffee table and Alex playing with the end strands of her hair.

"Do you think that things will ever go back to normal again?" She asked out of the blue, breaking the quiet.

"What do you…" Bobby felt as if his speech had drained him of all his secret divulging ability…at least for that day. "Eames…I, um…yes, they will. I just, I just can't really talk about it all again right now." He rose from the plush couch and went to the front of the chaise, where he got a whole new view of his partner.

Her legs were extended and crossed at the calf, causing her dress to ride even higher than it did when standing. The black chiffon rested mid thigh and rose, hugging her hips and revealing the rounded shape of her breasts. The cut of the neck let the straps rest on her arms, not her shoulders, baring her collarbone and delicate ivory neck. Her face, flushed with blush and shadow, let her eyes shine; at the moment he saw her he could not focus on anything but them…

…because they were staring strait at him. He could not tell if it was curiosity or another emotion that was peeking through her pupils because the other emotion was one he couldn't have imagined she would have. There was one thing he knew for sure, he had it.

_Just take Eames to a motel and get it out of your system!_

And just like that, the fantasizing was over.

"Eames, they're waiting," he said as he turned away and walked quickly to the door.

"Wait, Bobby!"

"What!" he yelled as he turned around. Alex just stood there in her cocktail attire, looking confused.

"I was just wondering….would you like to come to dinner with my family tomorrow? I mean, it's a family thing and I haven't seen them in forever and they haven't seen you in forever and it's my nephew's fifth birthday and I miss him and I can't…I don't want to go alone."

"I…" Bobby began to say no but then went through two scenarios. The first was him uncomfortable at a kids birthday party, continuing into the next day of his partner talking with him again, continuing this new trust that was evolving between them.

The second was him alone on a Friday night, watching the Yankees game and showing up to work finding his partner uncooperative…then two weeks later not finding her there at all.

The second was really not an option.

"Sure, when will you pick me up?"


	4. After Hours

**Hey guys, it's me, just thought I would throw some things out there:**

**#1- I kept reading and although cannon never gave me a name for the nephew, I am following what I've seen most often; Nathan will be his name for this bit.**

**#2- thank you for reviewing! It's your excitement for the story that keeps me going strong : )**

Bobby sat in his room at 6:20 pm on a Friday night in boxers and a t-shirt, his head in his hands. He had only twenty-five minutes before Eames would pick him up to head to her sister's place. Frankly, he was petrified of small children, her father, John Eames, and the likelihood that he would embarrass himself silly.

_I'm doing it for Eam- I mean Alex. I am doing this for my _partner.

He began to get dressed. Normally on a Friday night they would be buried in paperwork unless Ross took pity on them; however, tonight Alex had insisted that she be given an early out. The captain decided to let Goren off the leash as well, knowing he would get nothing done without her.

Moving to his mirror, Bobby took a moment to inspect: his black jeans and blue short sleeve button down shirt were immaculate, if more informal than his typical suit and signature tie clip.

_I hope that this goes…decently._

He was left with no more time to muse as the doorbell rang. He went downstairs and opened the door to see his partner turn around and greet him, eyes smiling.

"Wow, Eames," said Bobby, "you're, um…you should wear skirts more often."

She was dressed appropriately for the early June heat, however it was so untypical for Alex to be wearing a dress of her own volition that he could hardly believe it was his Eames. He thought the simple floral pattern of fusha and lilac along the skirt and bodice secured by spaghetti straps that held together the v-neck frock suited her in more ways than one.

"What are you saying, Goren, that I don't look feminine enough for you?" Alex grinned as he turned bright red. "Do you forget that you're working next to a woman?" He grew a few more shades purple as she began to laugh. "It's okay, I'll let you off the hook this time."

She looked around on the doorstep for a few seconds before he remembered himself. "Oh, come in! I just need to get my coat and we can go."

"Do I get to drive?" Alex asked, and Bobby sensed a trick. He turned from the downstairs closet with a light jacket tucked under his arm and his shields up.

"Don't you always?"

"Well should I? I mean, the way I'm dressed, people might assume I wear the pants in this partnership…oh wait, I'm not wearing pants, am I?"

Bobby chuckled, glad that his partner's spunky edge was back. "Only you Eames, only you."

…..

Half an hour and many witty comebacks later, Goren and Eames found themselves surrounded by a large group of small children. The irony was not lost on Bobby, who wondered if height had anything to do with energy, as all these tiny tikes combined had more than his over six foot frame. He stood in the background, his glass filled with white wine as all of the birthday boy's friends ran around in circles after the clown he had earlier been introduced to as Ben, Nathan's father.

"So, you're my sister-in-law's partner? I remember seeing you at the hospital when my son popped out."

"Yeah, I'm Eam- I mean, I'm Al-"

"Nice to meet you! I'd stay to chat longer but I have to go blow up some balloons," Ben said, winking. "Kids, you know, they're insatiable!"

And with that he had rushed off to another part of the backyard to fiddle with a helium canister.

The truth was that Bobby didn't know much about kids. He never had many of them around during his own childhood, and the few friends that he did manage to keep stayed clear of Frances Goren. He knew it wasn't right to speak ill of the dead, but he couldn't stop his thoughts from wandering through the "what if's" of his youth. "What if" he had a stable father, "what if" he had a reasonably sane mother, "what if" his brother wasn't a druggie and a gambler and a good for nothing dad…his brother…that night…

"Hey partner, why so sad?"

He turned to see his growing focus staring up at him with a plate in her hand with a slice of cake. She handed it to him and then turned to watch the mayhem as kid after kid scrambled for a balloon.

"What do you mean?"

"Most adults don't hide out behind an arts and crafts table at a birthday party," she replied.

"I'm not-"

"They hide next to the alcohol."

Bobby couldn't see her smile but he heard the laughter in her voice. His partner always knew the right words to say to snap him out of a mood, even ones about her. He felt the urge to put a hand on her shoulder but decided not to as her father came his way.

"Robert Goren, what a surprise!"

_Oh fuck._

"I was wondering if we'd ever see you again!" he said as he rumbled over and reached his hand out to grab Bobby's and give it a firm shake. "How have you been?"

"Well," he said, looking over at Alex nervously.

"My daughter said you went on a vacation for a few months, traveling through Europe. You're lucky Ross let you off, I'd be sad to let my daughter's partner go!"

_Thank you,_ he thought silently, glad that his partner had kept things discrete.

"Yeah, it was amazing," he said. "I'm just glad to be back, though…I missed being a cop."

"I'll bet, a mind like yours! Look, I was wondering…some of the guys decided instead of going to a Yankee's game we were gonna play this chess tournament. Could you give me a hand later tonight? They're betting an entire case of- oh, hi Anna!"

And just like that, Johnny Eames left to greet his wife. Alex looked back up at Bobby, who finally exhaled, sighing a deep breath of relief. The look that was washing off of his face made her break down in laughter.

"What's so funny?" Bobby asked when he saw his partner falling into a fit of hysterics.

"Nothing! Abso-lute-ly no-thing!" She almost fell to the ground, her arms wrapped securely around her sides for fear they would cave in.

"Jesus, I never thought you found your dad that amusing…"

"Actually," she said, straightening up with a mile wide grin, "it was one hundred percent you." She looked down to see that she was yet again in the company of another visitor.

"Hey Nate, how's it going?" She asked as she bent down and rubbed his head.

He looked up with a hand rubbing one eye while a telltale light blue iris peeked out of another. "Who is he?" Nathan asked, pointing bleary eyed at Bobby.

"Oh him?" She motioned, raising her hand to rest on her nervous partner's shoulder. "This is Bobby, he's my friend."

"Oh." The five year old turned his head away shyly.

"You may not remember him, but he remembers you. Bobby saw you in the hospital when you were as big as his hand."

Nate's focus snapped back on the man before him. "Really?" he asked.

"Really really," said Alex.

Nathan stepped up to the man who was at least three feet taller than him bashfully and said, "Hi Bobby."

Robert Goren, equally as nervous, bent down and took Nathan's hand, giving it a light shake. "Hi Nate, nice to see you again."

…..

Goren and Eames walked out of the house to the street where the car was waiting. They were laughing and smiling over Nathan's delight in Bobby's balloon animal skills.

"How did you learn how to do that?"

"In high school when I played basketball we'd have fundraisers to pay for equipment; I think you can guess who played the clown."

They reached the car and Alex began digging through her purse to find her keys. While examining the depths of her bag she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"I really did enjoy that," she heard her partner's voice say. "Thank you for inviting me."

She turned to face him, keys in hand. "I didn't want to go alone." She turned back around and stepped a foot towards the driver's side door.

"Besides, I missed you."

That phrase and her step were all it took.

She felt firm hands grip her sides then wrap around her waist, and before she had a chance to protest, his lips were by her ear. "How much did you miss me?" she heard him say as his breath tingled at her cartalage.

"Bobby, I…" she said breathlessly.

He kissed her neck first, snaking his movements down her spine and over the round of her shoulder to her collarbone, then towards her throat. His hands roamed around her waist and under the bump of her breast. His breath left her skin flushed from heat.

She had lost all rememberance of place, time, and space as soon as he began touching her, and subconsciously leaned into his embrace. The feeling he left upon her body was so gentle and studious, as if he had watched her a thousand times to place everything just right…

…and he had.

Bobby was enjoying feeling and touching her everywhere that the low neck of the dress would allow and the bodice would support. He wanted to stroke every possible part of her body while making her feel important, feel lo-

_Just take Eames to a motel and get it out of your system!_

And once again, Bobby pulled away.

"We should get going," Eames heard as withdrawal from her partner's touch set in.

"Um…"

_What the hell? What are you doing to me Bobby?_

"Okay."

She got in the car and quietly dropped him off before heading home to take a confused and cold shower.


	5. Under Pressure

**Hey guys! It's the middle of exam time for me and I'll be getting back to full-on chapters soon, but here's a little bit to chew on!**

The next day, Goren sat at his desk waiting…for what he didn't know. His emotions were mixed up somewhere between his belt buckle and his trachea, and maybe some places below.

He knew he had feelings for his partner; at that point, it was hard to ignore the sudden rousing below his belly every time his partner walked in or out of the room, or the feeling of emptiness when they clocked out for the day. It was impossible to disregard how he felt when he stood behind her overlooking a case file, or close his eyes to the fact she was aging so gracefully and delicately with each year they were partnered.

He only wondered how long it could last.

He had not only known and acknowledged his feelings for Eames, his Eames, he had acted upon them. That night he had been haunted by what could have been his comrade lying naked beside him, the potential feeling of warm skin melting against his after many sessions of heavy lovemaking…

…and how they would have woken up the next morning, realizing that he had endangered their partnership, their livelihood, and their reputations for his _fling._

That was something that followed Bobby's feelings everywhere he went, knowing that his brother Frank was right, knowing that all he wanted to do to Alex was all that he could never do.

She entered the elevator at eight thirty, having told Ross that she would be late. She had showered and worn dark wash jeans, a crisp white blouse, and a black blazer to show that she meant business…

…and she did. She went home after Bobby's tirade on her upper half frazzled and half armed for the day ahead. Hoping in vain that sleep would regenerate her, she pushed the snooze button one too many times and woke up knowing she would be pushing the time envelope.

_Sometimes I wonder why I let myself…_

Yet she knew. She knew why she had let him touch her that night, and it had nothing to do with formalities or confusion. Alex knew exactly what he wanted; she also knew exactly what she wanted: him.

She could not deny her desire for her partner any more than she could deny her desire for breakfast, lunch, and dinner…it was a multi-day occurrence and she needed it to survive.

But once again, as the door opened onto the floor of 1 Police Plaza reserved solely for Major Case, she knew that that particular want would have to be set aside…maybe permanently.

_It's the only way to keep us going. We almost were torn apart because he wouldn't be close…now it's overstepping the boundaries. We have to spend some time appar-_

"Goren and Eames, my office please."

Danny Ross' voice overshadowed all other thoughts as the two of them acknowledged the summons.

"Detectives, your operation the other day led to some successful results."

"Really?" said Alex, glad to have her mind put to more practical use.

"Yes. One couple, James and Emma Peterson of Peterson Watch Company, showed duress every time Alex was mentioned, and follow up showed that he had dated Paige somewhat in the middle of their marriage, giving them both reasonable suspicion."

"Great," said Bobby, "how should we interrogate them? I was thinking maybe-"

"Goren, you won't be interrogating them."

"What?" They both responded at once, blindsided.

"_At least, not from these walls…"_

_Oh no. Oh no no no no no._

"You two will be going back undercover for an undetermined amount of time."

"Captain, I reasonably beg to-"

"You'll live together in the apartment, pretend to be married and wealthy, basically continuing your stint as the Duvalls. Report back to me daily and keep tabs on all the goings on between the Petersons and the rest of society; trust me, with your busy social calendars it will be hard not to."

"Sir! I can't, we can't do this!" The words left her mouth sooner than she could contain them. She watched her partner shrink back in his chair as her boss leaned against his desk and crossed his ankles in annoyance.

"Why not?"

It was then she realized what she could do, cash in her partner for maybe a chance to sleep at night without dreaming of his face…they could be finished with mere words of her torment the night before at his hands…

"Is there something I should know?"

…but she wasn't ready to ship out yet.

"No Captain, I just would have appreciated more warning…time to prepare."

"Well you'll have the rest of today and tomorrow morning to pack and settle in. You know the job Alexandra, this is the way it works. You two are done for today, meet back here packed and ready to impersonate the wealthy in 24 hours."

And he was right; she did know the job. It was the reason why she dreaded the day to come.


	6. Past Professional

Her dreams were muddled with images of the Bobby she knew: quiet, reserved, polite, yet waiting to break free, whether it be on a case…or the soft curves of her body.

Her mind lingered on him through her morning coffee, her once again cold shower, her contemplative drive to work, and her romp through 1 Police Plaza in a sundress while trying inconspicuously (and failing) to get to the elevator. She spent the entire time on the lift trying to clear her head of his image, his intellect, and his obvious sway over her-

_Ding!_

The doors opened suddenly. She turned around to see her over six foot wonder standing with his mouth agape. She smiled internally at his reaction. _Perhaps I should have worn a different dress,_ she thought coyly as his eyes drifted over the same frock from her nephew's birthday party.

"Nice choice Eames!" said a voice from beyond her vision: Mike Logan.

"Thanks Logan."

"No, really Goren, don't you think?"

"Um, yeah," said Bobby, his face resembling a ripening tomato.

"It really suits your-"

"Mike! Get back to your desk!" Alex sighed quietly in relief as Megan Wheeler rounded the corner. "Ross has us on paperwork for a month after my stint in Europe and I sure as hell am not doing it alone!"

"Yes ma'am," Logan said as he retreated back to his desk.

Wheeler turned and gave Alex a wink. "I think Falacci let him get away with too much," she said as she turned and followed suit, leaving a red faced man and a frazzled woman to stare only at the floor.

"So," said Alex, breaking the silence after several moments, "how was your night?"

_Um…_

Bobby's night was filled with tossing and turning, intrigued with the idea of living with this woman that he adored and terrified by it. It had been a crazy sleep, filled with visions of a woman dressed as the one before him now, only she had been accommodating and moved to fill his every whim. The current Eames was in no way going to be as gracious.

"It was…good."

Two hours later the Captain closed the door as he exited the loft, leaving only Bobby and Alex in the living room. They had been instructed that the cameras would be monitoring the entire house except for the master bedroom, from which they would be visible. Their mission was to uncover as much about the couple in the next few weeks as possible. Unfortunately, neither of the detective's minds were very focused on the case at the moment.

"Um, I'm going to go unpack."

"Sure, I guess I will too," he said as he headed off towards the guest bedroom.

"Bobby, what are you doing?"

He turned around to look into the confused face of his partner. "I was going to go to the guest room."

"What if some socialite comes snooping around and finds our stuff in different rooms?"

"Um…" Bobby hadn't thought of that one; although he cared for the woman in front of him, he knew the last thing he needed was to stay in the same room with her when he was supposed to be on the job.

"And the only place to monitor the video cameras in the living room, kitchen, and the corridor is from the master bedroom."

Bobby sighed. "You're right, Eames."

They both kept their distance while walking to the room, trying to seem professional yet unsure of the outcome.

Alex opened the doors and looked once again into the room with a large banistered king sized bed. She kept looking at it, marveling at how beautiful the detail on the headboard was and how in any other circumstance, she would have loved to sleep in it.

"Alex?"

She was jolted out of dreamland as her counterpart put their bags down by the walk in closet and looked inquisitively at her. She walked towards one of the banisters and put her hand on it, admiring the finish of the wood. "I never noticed how nice it looks," she said, rubbing her hand up the polish.

"Yeah," said Bobby, joining her at the base of the bed, "the craftsmanship is beautiful. It must have taken someone a lot of effort."

She rose her hand up to where the banister met the curtain and stroked the fabric. "It's really soft, I can't believe…"

Her voice trailed off when she met her partner's eyes, which she could have sworn were looking at her with a feeling she could identify extremely well…

…longing.

"I can't believe the department put so much effort into something most people won't ever see," she said as she dropped her hand.

"Yeah," Bobby said as he turned to look at the security cameras. "By the way, you should take the bed."

"What?"

"I mean, I'm sure you'd be more comfortable…and I wouldn't want to-"

"Bobby, this is a California king-sized bed. I'm sure we can keep to our opposite ends."

"Yeah, but…" He looked back towards his partner as if he was afraid to be standing in the same room with her; however, at this time his wounded puppy look was less worthy of inspiring pity than irritating.

"For goodness sakes, Goren, we're sharing the bed!"

"Okay."

"And I'm tired, so I'm taking a nap." Alex walked around to the side of the bed and tucked back the full duvet covers to sneak under and curl up inside its comfort. She sank into the sheets as if they were made to fit her tiny body, and as she fell rapidly into sleep she could have sworn she saw that look on Bobby's face again…

…because he sat on the other side of the bed, watching her form's light weight gently rise and fall. At that moment, his professional courtesy had gone out the window. All he wanted to do was lie down and join her in REM sleep.

As he himself tucked his body beneath the covers, he could have sworn he heard his partner sigh, but with what emotion he was unsure of.

Bobby woke up two hours later with a strange feeling around his middle. Having yet to open his eyes he moved his hand subconsciously to his waist and felt a legful of soft, smooth skin. His lips curled into a gentle smile as he stroked it, admiring the woman lying in his arms. He had just gotten to her thigh as he opened his eyes to see his partner in serene sleep, her leg straddled over him.

Realization dawned on him as he quickly understood that he subconsciously had been spooning his fellow detective in her sleep. Shell shocked, he tried to gently unhook her from his body, but the feeling of his hands on her hips only made her lean into him more, wrapping her leg tighter around him and cuddling her head against his chest, reaching her hand in sleep to caress his face.

That particular position sat too well with Goren, who realized that if he wanted to, he could have her at that moment, no holds barred. In a sleep induced stupor she would offer herself up to him again and again until there was nothing more she could give, and he would enjoy every minute of it.

The thought, however, of her waking up and realizing she was compromised by the one person who should be looking out for her was enough to throw him off of that track.

He took her face in his hand and gently patted it. "Eames," he said softly, "Eames, wake up."

She batted her weary eyes as if they formed question marks before she realized the position they were in. "Oh my God!" she yelled as she jumped back from him and scrambled off of the bed.

"I, um, I tried to move you…" he said, one again lobster faced.

"No, Bobby, it's fine, it was an accident….um, we should get ready for the dinner party at the Petersons."

"Yeah-"

"I'll take the guest bathroom."

"Um, there's a camera-"

"Just shut off the monitor to that bathroom then!"

Bobby didn't even have time to reply as she embarrassedly rushed out of the room to the sanctity of another cold shower.


	7. The Dinner Party

"Hello, Bobby, how is the steel industry going?"

Bobby Goren once again had his arm wrapped around Alex Eames, but the situation hardly called for all that he had imagined he would do once holding her. Instead, they were in two suspects' home, preparing to mingle and get ready for a dinner party that would hopefully give them a better insight to the couple in question. Unfortunately for Goren, being undercover with his partner was proving to be anything but easy

"Quite well, actually," said the detective, acting as if unphased by the cool feel of his comrade's skin on the palm of his hand. "The stock has been doing very well in our company…God bless free trade!"

Bobby was surprised as the tiny woman next to him leaned into his embrace. "My husband is one of those go-getter types, always on the verge of some big breakthrough!"

_Thanks,_ he thought silently to his partner. "Actually, one of the wonders of metal is how strong it is…much like my wife here; after we got married, she could have done anything: retired, set up house…but she goes and builds an advertising agency!"

"Well," said James Peterson, "after being a model I guess the only place to graduate to is a career in managing models-"

"I definitely agree," she said, a little to flirtatiously for undercover Bobby, who held her tighter and looked down into her eyes with false embarrassment.

"Dear, I think our marriage is definitely a step up from the single life of a modeling career."

Peterson looked confused, which told Bobby that their strategy was working.

"So you say," Alex said mockingly as she turned and walked towards a small group of women on the other side of the room. He saw as she put a little extra swing in her hips and with the short cut of the cocktail dress it swayed from side to side around the curve of her thighs.

Bobby looked back at James and shrugged, putting on a "false" air of confidence. "Women," he said, leaning against the shoulder of the chaise next to him. "They act coy in public and then they expect you to buy them diamonds; aren't they ever satisfied?"

"Yeah," said James, shrugging it off as well. "Women love payback."

Bobby could already tell the type of man James was: pretentious, yet always afraid of being looked down on. He was one of those men who needed to feel validated, and lucky for James, Bobby was there to comply.

"You know they all go shopping together, they all spend our money…by the way, do you always notice how it's _our_ money when we earn it, and it's_ their_ money when they make a few thousand?_"_

"At least yours works! I can't get mine to even cook!"

"You mean this dinner party…"

"It's all professionals, man. It's the way you go when your wife can't play hostess."

"Wow," said Bobby. He looked left and right before he leaned in and said close to James' ear, "between you and me, a guy could look elsewhere if they weren't so worried about their image."

"Yeah," said the suspect, trading confidence. "If it wasn't for this stupid watch business and the money coming in I know she wouldn't be so pissed about something on the side."

Goren saw his in. "So you getting some action there?"

James smiled coyly. "Let's just say I don't sleep alone if my wife shops late. I know Emma is always at some guys heels trying to talk me down after-"

_Got him._

"After what?"

_Ding!_ A man popped out of the kitchen of the apartment, presumably one of the hired hands that were truly cooking for tonight's event and said in a very fake French accent, "Dinner will be served in the dining room! Everyone, come to eat!"

_Damn broke actors/cooks who have nothing better to do!_

James looked back to Bobby and winked. "I'll tell you some other time."

….

Seated at dinner, Bobby and Alex continued their charade, including gentle swiping at each other while between courses and small jibes between work and home. Alex did not pause long between the scalloped potatoes and the pasta from subtly picking apart Bobby's impressive reputation in front of the other guests, and each time he would send a look to James speaking in words unavoidable with eye contact: _I told you so._

Eventually the meal was finished and everyone returned to the living room for tea and coffee. During this time James found out Alex and struck up a conversation that Bobby let go on for a few minutes before he cut in.

"So," he said jokingly as Alex tucked her hair behind her ear and laughed flirtatiously, "should I be worried?"

"No, dear, just making myself better acquainted with our host."

"No problems there," said Bobby, winking.

Alex stood up and reached her arms up behind his neck, looking up at his face. "Anything the matter?"

"No, our ride just arrived. Bruce is waiting to take us home."

Knowing what he was about to do might be taking the charade too far, he brushed back her hair and held her cheek for fair warning as he leaned in to give her a gentle yet suggestive kiss. Alex nearly jumped a millimeter in shock before relaxing into the role of his wife. Pulling away, their lips quietly separated as Bobby looked at James and smiled. "I think we might be busy tonight, but we should get in contact soon. I'll be up in the Hamptons."

He looked back down at his psudo-wife, who he could tell was frazzled under her cool demeanor as she said, "Let's go Bobby, I can't wait to get home."

It was only when they were outside the building in the car that Alex turned around and said, "You took it too far."

Those five words were the beginning of a long night.


	8. Is He? He is

**Hey guys, just telling you about the rating change: this story is now M for Mature audiences. I'm sorry for those who like to keep GE stories short, sweet, and sappy…I don't.**

They entered the apartment at 11:30, and by 11:30.5 Alex had spanned the distance of the long hallway to enter the bedroom. Bobby dragged his feet along slowly, hardly excited for what was to come.

He went through the double doors and shut them quietly, looking around for his partner.

"Alex?"

"What!" She yelled from behind the bathroom door.

"I just wanted to say-"

The bathroom door creaked open.

_Damn._

Alex stood there in very short black shorts and a light blue tank top, her long hair still wet from intense scrubbing. He would have thought it very sexy if not for the smoldering look of anger on her face.

"What did you want to say Bobby? That you're sorry for what?"

"I, um…I'm sorry. That's it." Bobby turned around and slid a hand down his forehead. _Why did she have to wear that?_

"No!" He heard as a hand reached up to his shoulder and pulled him back to face her. "This is getting old, Goren. I don't understand you…why…how…what the hell is going on?"

"Nothing is going on Eames!" He said, pushing her hand aside and walking towards the closet. "I was just in character!"

Alex looked left and looked right before she hissed behind him, "Not when you kissed me 72 hours ago."

Even with the closet door closed, those words chilled Bobby to the bone. He was very interested in Alexandra Eames, but he also had the nagging voice of his brother in his head and the fear that she would regret everything, that she already did. He opened the door and stepped out in track shorts and a t-shirt. He noticed right away the jump in his partner's gaze. _She must have noticed that I took time during my sabbatical to go to the gym._

But as soon as her gaze returned from inspection to anger he knew his ploy had not worked. "You never answered my question."

"What, Alex? That I'm sorry? You know I didn't mean to-"

"That's just it Bobby! You didn't mean to! You never mean to!" She came up to him and gave him a hard unexpected smack across the face. "Why did you leave me? What the hell were you thinking?"

She started hitting and punching at his chest in pent up frustration. "Why do you always just think about _you_! How do you think I felt, going months in paperwork, never knowing if you were all right? Having to pretend to sleep by myself after you kiss me and then walk away…you are so selfish!"

_That's it._ Bobby had had enough. He took Alex's hands and held them over her head as he began to voice his opinion. "Alexandra Eames, I never tried to hurt you. Every time I left, every time I pulled away it was to stop myself from hurting you or the partnership that we created. I might have been callous, but that was the only way I knew how to protect you. If that means I don't care to you, we both have very different definitions of that phrase."

She tugged her wrists from his arms and he compliantly released them. She stepped toe to toe with him, looking him straight in the eye, and asked, "Then what's stopping you? Some stupid fear of getting me hurt. Tell me, tell me right now before I walk away and leave this stupid undercover stint: what are your intentions towards me Goren? Just what, precisely, do you want to say to me?"

At first Bobby drew a blank, but the precious seconds he had yielded many results._ I love you. I don't want to lose you. You are so important to me. I can't believe I left you. You are the one solid thing in my world. You're not just a phase. I can't forget you. I want you. I need you around me. I can't forget how you feel. You are more than important, you're everything._

But instead of saying those things, Bobby did something even riskier.

He risked the potential slap from his partner when he leaned in swiftly to tell her all those things in a strong, passionate kiss.

_Just take Eames to a mo-_

_**Shut up Frank! **_He told his brain, and that was the end of that.

He wrapped his strong arms firmly around her so that she was encircled by him. He hugged her small body tightly to his tall frame in an armored embrace. There were so many thoughts that were running through his head that he wanted to convey to her, but there was no other way to express how fully he felt for her than to act it out. He held her close so that she could not escape even if she wanted to…

…and God did she resist. She hit, she yelled into his mouth, she kicked…

…until a tiny switch went on in her brain.

_This is Bobby. This is _my _Bobby, my loving, passionate, caring Bobby and he's back. This isn't the stranger anymore…I don't think he can ever be a stranger again._

_I feel for him, I feel for my friend, I care about him, I need him to be with me, I want him, I lo- _

_Oh my God. I love him. _

_It feels so natural to say it._

_I love him…and he's kissing me._

Suddenly she threw herself into it, and instead of meeting Bobby with blows, she met him with a return of all the emotion he was pouring into her. Fitting into his strong embrace like a glove, she caressed his cheek while matching him kiss for kiss, tongue for tongue…

…and just as suddenly, she felt a spot around her lower half grow hard.

Bobby moaned into her mouth subconsciously, which sent Alex into an unwilling fit of laughter. He looked at her as she pulled her face away and buried it into his shirt as he felt wet hot tears on his chest.

"Alex, um…is this some sort of confusion I didn't bank on?"

The woman that buried herself inside of his shirt pulled out with a mile-wide grin on her face and streaks of wet joy cascading down her face.

"Bobby," she said, reaching up to his cheek and rubbing it, "I love what you're doing, but…I think your body is thinking ahead."

"Oh," said Bobby, but instead of his partner seeing him begin to turn a lovely color of fusha, he looked down at her, smirked, and said, "I think that this problem can be solved."

"I don't see-" Eames began before she felt her feet leave the floor.

He had already picked her up mid sentence, cradling her body and holding her head close to his chest while he walked in an unknown direction.

"You see, ever since we entered this suite I agreed with you that this is a very interesting bed."

_He's not…?_

"And I think that the craftsmanship is amazing; really, the woodwork on the pillars is stunning."

_Is he?_

"But frankly, I think its form needs to be tested."

_He is._

"Goren," she said matter-of-factly, looking up into his face.

"Eames," he replied with the same tone and facial expression.

Alex looked up at him with amusement, and mocking irritation tried to reason. "We're on assign-"

"I don't care," she heard his voice say breathless and lustily in her ear.

She didn't try to change his mind after that.

She felt him attack her small frame with his hands, running them down her shoulders past the level of professional courtesy to her chest. She felt one hand cup her breast while another reached under her shirt to kneed the other. She felt a small gasp leave her mouth at how warm his hands were as they rubbed and pushed them around, thumb grazing over one nipple as fingers grasped at the other. She watched as a smile gently wound onto his face as she reacted. "Why…?" was all she could breathe out.

"Because it makes you happy." He leaned over her form on the bed and began to kiss her as he rubbed, drawing out her breath to make it long and heavy with his lips sucking and holding hers. He felt her moan into his mouth as if asking for more, replying only by molding her breasts stronger and harder. He quickened the pace, moving his tongue to the rhythm of his hands' diligent work, in and out, back and forth.

She couldn't get enough. She moved her neck to take in more of his mouth, and when he pushed even more firmly on her hardened nipple, she instinctively cried out as she threw her legs around his hips and thrusted.

"Whoa, Eames," he said as he pulled his face back, making her slightly angry with how calm he was acting and the fact that he was still standing, unviolated, at the edge of the bed. "What's gotten into you?"

"You have."

"Want to slow down there, partner?"

"Don't 'partner' me, Goren! Stop playing with me," she said as she wrapped her legs tighter; seeing his face react to her movement gave her all the ammunition she needed.

"Don't you want to…" she said as she rocked her body up wards, "…you know?"

"No," said Bobby, trying to keep up his demeanor.

"You sure you're not ready?" she asked, cocking her head to the side and pursing her lips, "because I thought…we could…do something…" she said as she rubbed her pelvis back down to his waist, "more…"

"More what?" Bobby said with a wavering voice, reaching the end of his control as she brought herself back down over his member. She cocked a finger and gestured for him to come down to her level; he leaned over her body, putting both hands above her face on the bed as he moved close to her.

She looked up at him coyly for a few seconds…

…before throwing her head back and kissing him strongly as she thrusted hard onto him, curving her back into a U-shape while letting the form of his package fill her panties.

_Oh my God, she's so wet!_ He thought as he felt her jam against him in more ways than one. His eyes snapped closed and saw red as he felt through what seemed like gauze to the outline of the inside of her. He reached his hands under her arched back to pull her chest closer to him and to feel her breasts pressed hard against him as her arms wound their way around his back.

He could no longer restrain himself as he crashed onto the bed, pushing violently into her. While getting more and more aroused he realized they were both still fully clothed. He pushed her back on the bed to slip off his shirt, bearing muscles he knew she hadn't seen _before_ the suspension.

She looked him up and down with lips pursed before flipping him over and taking off her tank in turn. She threw back her wet hair and stretched, her partner's hands sliding down to her firm bottom as he admired her primed and hard nipples pointing towards the sky.

He reached his arms up to the small of her back to pull her down once again so he could feel their roundness against his chest. What he didn't expect was for them to slide down it as hands pulled his shorts and boxers down and a firm mouth slide onto his privates.

He gasped in surprise and pleasure as his penis throbbed in her mouth while she slid it up and down his shaft, sucking hard and long. His restraint gone, he held onto her head as he pushed up and into her mouth and went with her as she moved, feeling the pressure grow around it as time moved around them, in and out, in and out he moved until pre cum started slipping out of the corners of her lips.

She let go, much to his sadness, until he felt her lips on his nipple, sucking and teething at the edges.

At the thought of his Eames being _that _kinky he lost all control.

He pushed her shorts down and grabbed her ass firmly as he flipped her over. He reached over into the top drawer of the side table and pulled out a condom. If he was worried about the reaction of his partner to having one at the ready, he shouldn't have been; she watched intensely as he slid it over his penis and then gently started making his way into her.

It took some time, but he managed to fully entrench himself within her wet interior. He felt them connect and his cock become completely enwrapped by her slick insides that clung to him, tight and hot. He managed to lean in to her, and at a different angle, push in even further to feel the pulse of her skin around him as he whispered in her ear, "I love you."

Those three little words sent her on a frenzy.

She bucked into him with all she had, over and over and over again as he felt her grow slicker and tighter and hotter around him. He pushed back with twice her strength, grabbing her from behind to position himself deeper and deeper within her. They met each other with everything they could, panting hot excited breaths as they connected through every part of their bodies inside and out.

Goren was on the verge of climaxing, but what pushed him over was not the feel of his lover surrounding him or the intensity of the moment…

…but his Eames panting out softly "I…love…you…Bobby…"

He came all at once inside of her, swarming and flowing underneath the blue latex. The burst of energy inside her made her cum swiftly too, curving her back up with the intensity of the shocks of orgasm. "Oh! My! God!" she screamed as the pangs subsided and she fell back to the bed, exhausted yet completely contented as her partner pulled out quickly. She barely felt the loss as he soon replaced himself at her side, holding her close as he rocked her back and forth slowly.

They lay there for a while, taking comfort in each other, until Alex whispered, "So the bed frame…it was worth it?"

Bobby closed his eyes at the sound of her voice and said quietly yet happily, "I think so."


	9. Morning After

Alexandra Eames woke up the next morning on top of something _very _comfortable.

Still extremely groggy, she hadn't opened her eyes yet, but any detective worth their salt could tell that a body was underneath them…and in this case she could feel it was quite a big body, with all the lower body ramifications.

She smiled and cuddled her face into the chest of whatever man she was with, knowing that soon she would have to wake up and find out some way to ditch this latest one night stand before going to work. _I'll worry about that later,_ she thought as she felt her hair sweep down over her face as she nuzzled against his chin. _For now, let's just pretend this is Bobby…_

_Pretend this is Bobby…_

Her smile grew as she mused about what it would be like to be with the mysterious man in Armani who could be so familiar yet foreign to her at the same time. It had been a bad past few days of frustration at work and whoever this was, at least she'd have this dream in her mind a little longer.

Before these past few days she'd never had admitted she might have an emotional attachment to her partner even to herself; she'd told herself thoughts like that were inappropriate and moved on…but then the thoughts became "too dangerous", then "too curious", then "too much to avoid"…

…and just like that she knew she had fallen for him.

For added comfort she curled up on one side and let his arms subconsciously adjust to her body's form, holding her close. She imagined it was her partner, holding her as meticulously in his sleep as he had that night after her nephew's birthday. Even though she was upset at him, even though all these emotions could only get them hurt or get in the way, she was silently grateful he had done anything at all. _Now he knows I won't run if he touches me…doesn't he?_

Her smile pulled into a gentle frown as she wondered if this could last much longer…the confusion, the unwillingness to trust her…and through it all, if things would ever be the same again, or worse…or better.

On that note she propped her chin up on his chest, gently opened her eyes, and looked on the man lying under her…

…and drew in a quiet gasp of surprise.

In the place of her dreams the real Robert Goren, lying with his head thrown to the side as his fingers moved up in sleep to her hair, cradling her head close with one hand while holding her to his frame with the other.

Now it was all coming back: the assignment, the order, the move in, the dinner party, the fight, the…sex…

_So this must be the morning after._

She lay her head back down for comfort as in sleep his thumb made circles around her jawline. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel; on the one hand, this was the morning after with Goren, her partner of 7 years, during which they had seen good partnerships shrivel up and die and knew, until now, how to keep it professional…on the other, this was the morning after she had sex with Bobby, the man she had been through hell and back with for 7 years and was not ready to let go of because of a stupid inter office-

"Eames?"

Alex jolted out of think-land as she realized, hearing Goren's groggy voice, that her comrade was awake. She turned her head shyly to look down at his face, curved with a silent question mark…she realized that he could have not realized it was her as well, or he could just be wondering what she was thinking.

"Yeah Bobby, it's me."

"I know that…I felt you moving…" he said, and automatically one fear was put to rest. _At least he remembered last night off the bat._

"Why are you awake? It's only seven."

She looked at the alarm next to the bed: he was right; with the sun's rays coming in, she had never doubted him in the first place.

"At seven we're usually getting ready to go to work…" she said, re-resting her head on his chest.

"Let's pretend this is a paid vacation," he said, resuming rubbing his thumb along her jaw as his other hand held her closer. He was looking up at her with a slightly awed expression on his face, and as she cocked her head gently to the side in question he blurted out, "You look like an angel."

"Wow," she replied, and was answered with a familiar blush on her partner's face.

"I just meant…never mind."

"No, please tell me," she said as his fingers played along the line of her chin; she grabbed them and kissed his palm. "Bobby. Tell me."

He slid his fingers away so he could grab at her waist and reposition themselves so that they faced each other, side by side. "I just…" he said, running his hands through her hair, ",…it reminded me of a day at work."

"Really?" Eames said, curious to how he would make the connection.

"It was after the Gage case, and we were working hard to catch Ashley Gardela's killer…"

The memory of Jo Gage sent an unwilling shudder through Alex, who remembered how she tried to avoid bringing work talk into the bedroom. The tremor only served to make Goren wrap his free arm around her waist and hold her close. "Better?" he asked as she replied by yawning and snuggling into his embrace.

"We were dead on leads, and at that point we had been running around so much that travel had left us on a road early in the morning. I was exhausted, unfortunately for me it was the one time you had let me drive, but…you…" he looked down at her, pressed against his chest as she listened, comfortable and safe. "It was my Eames, curled up on the passenger side, sleeping. I loved seeing you somewhere that I knew you were safe, where no one could touch you and…well, the way you looked just then, like now, with the sun coming down over your face, makes me…"

"…makes you what?" she said a few seconds of silence later. She tilted her head back against his chest and looked at him looking at her. His reflecting brown eyes spoke volumes.

"Makes me glad I can hold you in my arms and thank you for everything you've ever done for me," he said, burying his face in her hair and breathing in her shampoo.

"Bobby…" she said as he lowered his head to her shoulder

"Eames, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you," he spoke onto her skin in movements of his mouth that felt like kisses.

That acknowledgement, she admitted to herself, meant wonders. Before in their partnership, Goren had always seemed the leader whether it came to his smooth interrogation tactics or his ability to spot what others could not see. That position always pushed the small female senior partner into the Watson position, watching her friend receive in some cases all the credit- or all the blame; lately it had been more of the later. It was important that at least her partner thought she was more than just a good detective…

…that she was one of the best.

She reached her hand up and wound her fingers through his short salt and pepper curls, one of the signs that age was catching up with him. He didn't look as youthful as he did seven years ago; something about life and work had made him age…or was it just time? He wasn't getting any younger, and neither was she.

She knew she didn't want to waste time regretting, living life as if rules dominated her heart.

"Bobby, did you mean what you said last night?"

"What?" he said, still lost in her presence with his head in the crock of her neck.

"When you said…when you said I love you," she said, pulling away from his embrace to prop herself up on her elbow, "were you just saying it in the heat of the moment or are you…do you…?"

Bobby looked at her for a second, confused, before turning his head down. Alex feared her question would strike home until he looked back up at her with an emotion she knew very well- hurt.

"After everything we've been through, I thought you knew me better than that Alex." His eyes were laden with disappointment.

"Please don't…Bobby!" She said, reaching up to his face to quell his sadness and bring him back to reality, back to her. "Really, I just asked because I'm…nervous…I've been burned before, and I don't want to walk down that path again."

"Eames, you know I would never do that to you. First off, you're my friend and on that level alone I wouldn't want to hurt you…"

_Just friend?_

"On an even deeper level, on the level that matters," he said caringly, kissing her shoulder and working his way up her neck, "you're…the woman…that…I…love," he said, landing on her lips lightly, "and hurting you would hurt me too."

She smiled inside as she grabbed his lips with her own and kissed him back with a firm, loving kiss.

"Then I think you should know that I meant what I said to." She touched her forehead to his. "Great minds think alike."

"Say it."

She nuzzled against his neck as she said, "I love you Robert Goren."

And it sounded better than he'd ever hoped it could.

"Come on," he said, resettling his partner and himself under the covers, "We still have four hours and thirty minutes till we have to speak to the captain, and right now I can think of only one thing that I want to do?"

"And what's that, detective?" she said teasingly.

"Hold you while you fall asleep."

And he did.


	10. En Route

**Thank you all for the comments and the support! I think it's related to how quickly I post new chapters, so I really appreciate it!**

"So tell me this again?"

Danny Ross was on the phone from his office in 1 PP, and the slew of words coming from his detective's mouth were indecipherable. As he looked down on his lunch, growing warm in the sweltering July heat, and wanted this meeting to end quickly, he knew that the confines of his job prevented him from hanging up and devouring his pastrami on rye.

So he half paid attention to Goren's rant in anticipation of a good meal, which was good…

…considering that Eames was doing her best to distract him.

"I was just saying that I think that James shouldn't be hard to crack."

"Why? What makes you so sure?"

"Well, he's a man's man. He likes women whatever way he can get them." Bobby looked up from the phone to see Alex walking across the room in a short terry white bathrobe that sat exceptionally well on her small frame and hugged her curves. His mouth curved into a small smile at the previous night's activities as he added, "he knows what he can get and what he can't…it just happens that he can't get his wife to fulfill his needs so he searches elsewhere."

"As in the bed of Paige Garner? That's a bit of a stretch-"

"Trust me captain, after five seconds of talking to this guy it's obvious that he's not been faithful." He looked back towards where his partner was standing and finding the area empty of Eames. Searching around the room with his eyes, he saw her leaning against the doorframe of the walk-in closet with an extremely seductive gaze directed at him. "And if it helps, he definitely seemed to have a thing for Eames."

"So your plan worked?"

"In a manner of speaking…" he said as Alex let the robe hang loosely on her shoulders as she pawed her feet at the ground in his direction.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I think there's something about her that drives him crazy," he began as she started slowly sauntering over to the side of the bed he was sitting on.

"Well…is it her height?"

"Um," said Bobby as she planted one foot by his left thigh.

"Or is it her attitude? Is she flirting with him?"

"Uh, yes," he added as she planted the other by his right, straddling his lap; he very quickly realized she was wearing nothing at all underneath.

"Uh, yes? Detective, I'm expecting a bit more than that.."

"What I mean to say is…is…" He began to lose himself as she planted a kiss on his neck, working her way down to his collarbone.

"Goren!"

"What!" He yelled almost as much in annoyance as in shock as his partner gave him a playful nip.

"Look, unless you're looking at a deli sandwich like the one I am and are _starving_, I expect a better report. Do I have to come down there later?"

"Um, no, I'm sorry Captain." He gently pulled Eames off his neck as she started playing with his tie.

"It's fine…look, call me back in an hour when you've gotten everything straightened out."

"In more ways than one," he said as he felt a familiar harness take hold. "In an hour then."

He slid the phone from its place by his ear and made sure that it was turned off before reaching his arms around the woman straddling him. "Any idea what you were trying to pull there?"

"I think I might be making it up as I go…" she said as she slid her hand down his back.

Bobby shuddered from how sensitive he always felt to her touch. "Um…any reason why you chose to wear this?" He asked as he fondled a corner of the robe that rested on her thigh.

"I was going to take a shower," she said as she resumed kissing his neck.

"And I'm guessing you want company?"

She responded by sliding her hand down his thigh. Bobby may have, at times, been blind to her emotions, but this was not one of those instances. He picked her up and carried her into the bathroom with her legs wrapped around his waist and shut the door.

Freshly showered and dressed, both Goren and Eames were standing in the den, connected to the bedroom, on a conference call with Ross.

"So, as you can see, we think that while James may have a macho complex, he probably doesn't have the mettle for the murders…at least not alone."

"What makes you think that Eames?" said the captain, fed and satisfied that this conversation was finally getting somewhere.

"Because the way he acts, he's perfectly confident he is Mr. Perfect…until he's shaken out of his reality. For example, when I was "flirting" with him he seemed full of charm…until Goren…came around."

_I did not almost say that to our boss._

"We're you about to say something?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, I don't think we should rule him out as a suspect until you're absolutely certain. There's also the possibility that the wife was in on it too…"

"What are you suggesting?" asked Bobby.

"That it's the summer, and that everyone's heading out to the Hamptons. The remainder of your assignment is going to be spent there. I assume you know that this means minimal area interference; only certain cops there will be informed on a need to know basis."

Part of Alex was nervous about leaving the security of the city, the NYPD, their shields, and their desks behind to play with the rich and famous…

…but the other half was excited to go somewhere without being inhibited by a unit placed in a suite four floors down for security, or the extra badges of support. It would be just Bobby and her, being a couple and seeing what came of it.

"When do we leave?"

"This evening. You can take the car assigned to you and in case of emergency, your guns are stored in the appointed place."

"Thanks Captain."

"I'll check in with you same time tomorrow, before the Engletons cooking party…should be a good opportunity for you to 'get to know Emma Peterson better'."

"Bye."

"Bye," said Ross as the phone made a customary click to signal the person on the other end had left.

Goren made sure the phone was off before going up to Eames and saying, "Seems legitimate."

"Yeah," she replied, opening the door to go back to the bedroom, "almost wish it was going to be a paid vacation."

"I know," he replied as she sat down on the bed. He looked down at her tantalizingly.

"It's too early for another shower," she responded to his gaze.

"There'll be plenty more opportunities for showers by the beach," he said as he sat next to her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Oh yeah, the Hamptons are by the beach…"

"What were you thinking about?"

"How nice the breeze must be outside the city…and how spacious the rooms must be."

"Which rooms?" He said, planting a kiss on the sensitive skin behind her ear.

It was Eames' turn for the shivers.

"You know, the kitchen, the living room…the bedroom."

That was all Goren needed. "Let's leave now."

"Now?"

"Now."

They spent the next few hours packing their bags before leaving in a shiny black Cadillac to their destination, the beach and the Hamptons, without knowing quite what they were getting themselves into.


	11. The Pianist

**Sorry it's been so long! My computer decided to break itself and it's been in the shop for a week and a half; my apologies : )**

It had been about two hours of graciously little traffic until Alex Eames pulled up to the summerhouse in the "company" car. "This is it," she said, cutting the engine and taking out the keys.

She and Bobby stepped out of the car and headed up the front steps to the solid door. He pulled the keys out of his pants pocket and started opening it. It clicked and automatically eased open as Goren looked to his partner and said, "After you."

"Why thank you," she said, her tone revealing how stunned she was at the beauty of the house. The magnificent staircase that led upstairs fishtailed at the bottom into the living room, filled with art, lounges, and a baby grand piano. To the right lay the dining room, fashioned with a cherry wood table (that must have cost the force something fierce) and ornately carved chairs. The ambiance was completed with the crisply painted stucco-ed white walls, which left those who appreciated knowing that this was a beach house first and foremost, and a gallery second.

"Gorgeous isn't it?" she said as she looked behind her for Goren, but he was nowhere to be found. She decided to venture upstairs while he was doing whatever Bobby-thing popped into his head.

There were two directions at the top, left and into a set of double doors much like the ones at their previous apartment, or right down a long hallway of entrances and exits. Eames decided to prove her hunch.

A few seconds later, the doors were pushed open as she looked upon a bed that could have been the other's twin. She walked over to the carved frame and was stopped only by the sound of music pouring through the entryway.

Alex went back down the stairs and at the bottom let her lips curl into a smile as she watched Bobby playing the piano. She always knew that the man before her had a million and one talents that she did not know about…

…now it was cut back down to one million.

She walked silently to Bobby's side and stood until he finished the song. Alex let his move his fingers off of the keys before sliding down onto the bench next to him and, turning her head, she laid it in his lap. "I didn't know you played piano."

"I was young and I learned…never mind."

"Tell me." Alex shifted her weight so she could be more comfortable and closed her eyes, knowing she was in for a story.

"Well," he said, combing through her hair like it was fine sand, "I was 16. Between sports and school and my mother I didn't have much time, but with the little I did have I would daydream about this girl, Vanessa. She was from Italy, with long, dark hair and a love for Opera. She came to my school the start of my sophomore year and automatically I knew that I wanted to impress her.

"A lot of the other kids didn't really get her, she didn't fit into their brand of normal; as you know, however, I didn't and still don't really fit into anyone's brand of normal…

"So I began to learn the piano. I would come home after practice and take out books from the library and teach myself. Needless to say, playing the piano took the place of schoolwork for a time, and my grades showed it.

"One day I got up the courage to ask her over the afternoon before spring break. She was all smiles, glad to be invited anywhere…but when we got to my house…"

"Your mother," Eames finished, knowing that the story was over.

"She saw my bad report card in the mail…then she saw Vanessa…she put two and two together…."

"I'm sorry, Bobby."

"I later had a choice of where out of the country I wanted to be stationed: Germany or Italy. I chose Germany; I still felt as if I had embarrassed myself in front of the country's supreme representative." He turned and looked at his watch. "We should get ready for the cooking party at the Engletons; we only have an hour and half."

"Okay," she said, getting up and moving towards the staircase where her luggage was waiting. She looked back to see Bobby still sitting at the piano, running his fingers over the keys. _He probably hasn't played since._

"Bobby," she called as he turned around, "your playing is beautiful."

He shrugged and got up, walking over to her and taking her hand. "Someone beautiful recently inspired me…"


	12. Cooking with the Jones

**Okay! For all of you who were wondering where the case part of this went, it's back!**

"As I was saying, the craftsmanship on the china is stunning, Anne, I can't believe that they were made back in the 1700s!"

_How do these people do it?_

Alex was sitting in the middle of a gaggle of women discussing their host's inherited family china as if it was a miracle baby. The nature of the cooking party made the girls only atmosphere feel semi-normal, excepting that many of these women otherwise probably cooked about twice a year. Looking to her left at the women she was sure would be expecting an answer out of her soon, she straightened and did her best to hide her disinterest. Sure enough, immediately after she shifted positions the matriarch of the day's events turned her head the detective's way.

"So, Alex, I know you've only been in New York a few weeks, but have you found yourself comfortable here? I know the city is, well, _different _from Michigan."

She had prepared herself for those types of questions. The upper crust hardly ever let anyone into their circle easily, otherwise everything would get too "common"; screening for imposters was part of their life. Alex told herself to remember to kick Bobby for picking Michigan as their home state while saying, "It's all relative, I guess. I used to live here for a time as a young adult, working as a model…"

_Model, _she thought as she continued on with the story while the women hung on her every word for more information on the mysterious Alex Duvall, _I'm about 5'3"…they can't be buying this._

"...but after traveling the world doing print in catalogs, I met Bobby…he was at one of the galas I attended. We had a whirlwind courtship which ended up with me married and in Michigan."

And the peanut gallery responded on cue.

"Oh, poor dear!"

"After all that life, stuck in Michigan!"

"At least he's a looker…"

"Was it worth it?"

"I think so," she said, trying to respond to everything at once. "Michigan after modeling was a bit stifling, so I decided to start my own agency…just to give me something to do until children or marriage caught me up again, but it really took off…I began to travel between the city and home more and more until Bobby said he couldn't deal with missing me anymore and told me we were moving to New York."

"He actually said that? That he really missed you enough to move away from his business?"

"Well, he just switched the operating hub to the city, but yes, he did leave the actual steel plants back in Michigan."

"Wow," the majority chorused in unison.

"He just left? Frank would never do that for me."

"I am so jealous!"

"Can you believe it, he _missed _her?"

"Is that even in a man's vocabulary?"

"She was a model?"

"With her height?"

Alex checked to see where the last comments came from, but among the large group of women clucking into conversation amongst themselves she only saw one or two sour faces, and none promising enough to dig into.

The moment was lost anyway when a man came into the room with a chef's hat. "Ladies," he said in an extremely fake French accent, "I realize that this is your cooking party, and I apologize for the wait, but we wanted to get the freshest ingredients possible for your experience. Please, accompany me into the kitchen."

_He looks familiar,_ Eames thought while following the heard before tripping and catching herself before falling on the hallway's Persian rug. She looked ahead to make sure no one saw her slip up, not realizing that a hand was already steadied on her shoulder.

"You okay?" Someone behind her asked. Eames turned to see a tall auburn haired woman retract her arm and smile politely.

"Yes, just a klutzy moment on my part." Alex smiled back, slightly embarrassed and mentally berating herself for messing with the fragile image of herself as a successful model. "There was a reason I didn't opt for runway in the industry."

"Trust me Alex, we all have those…with or without a modeling career." She extended her hand again. "I'm Megan Basset."

"Ah, yes, I remember you from the dinner party."

"I remember you too, one of the handful of other women who actually worked for a living without digging into their husbands pocketbooks every five seconds." She looked at Alex's confused face for a second before adding, "I was the newbie a year ago, too. I run House of Basset…the horse and hound breeding on my ranch somehow brought me from upstate New York to the city."

Alex's smile involuntarily grew wider; she knew it wasn't real, but it was good to find someone who allowed her to drop part of the façade. "And why are you telling me this?"

"Let's just say, I can tell by the expression on your face that they're starting to drain you."

The detective let out a chuckle. "Very true. I have to admit, I kind of liked Detroit."

Megan responded with a light-hearted laugh of her own. "Enlighten me while we 'cook'."

The cooking project began innocently enough, but as Megan suggested, interest began to wain and after thirty minutes all of them were sitting in the dinning room while the cooks that were left on hand managed the operation. During their wait, when the ladies broke up into groups of chitchat and seemingly senseless drabble into the affairs of those not in attendance, she and her new companion moved to the couch so Megan could fill her in on the lives of the other women in the kitchen.

"Mary just found out that her husband was cheating on her with a 26 year old male prostitute," Megan continued 45 minutes later, "so she had their butler serve him with divorce papers during breakfast."

"Wow," said Eames, truly surprised. "Creative, but…how will she get by?"

"Well, for one, she's the one who inherited the Gibson hotel chain, so it's more of a question of him getting by…guess they're not all as lucky as you," she said with a gentle elbow jab that let Alex know she was just playing.

"Any of the others not as lucky as me?"

"Talk about everyone!" Megan exclaimed. "It's either divorce, cheating, unhappy marriages…"

"How bout people around the luck level of say…Emma Peterson?" Alex started, recognizing her in and taking it.

"Oh, the James situation; honestly, that man has made her sour as a Now and Later…without the later."

"I'll bet." Alex looked from side to side, checking to see that the other women were preoccupied before speaking. "Did you see how he was flirting with me the other night?"

"I'll be surprised if the entire squadron of angels in heaven and God didn't see it," Megan laughed. "That man is cursed. Your lucky your husband isn't the jealous type."

"I think it was more that he knew I wasn't looking to go home with someone else, no matter how much we tease each other."

"A very secure relationship…"

"Unlike the Petersons?" asked Alex, trying to set it back on topic.

"Why are you so interested in those two?" asked Megan.

_Uh oh_, thought Alex, fearing her bluff had been called.

"Well, it's just that she doesn't work, she let's her husband walk all over her, and most importantly, she was gossiping about me in the living room."

"Payback?" asked Megan.

"Precisely," said Eames, grateful that she could talk her way out of that one.

"Well then," Megan began, "I'm sure you've heard about Paige Garner in the newspapers?"

"Of course? Her story's been all over the news."

"Did they add 'homewrecker' in there?"

"No, why?"

"Paige was never good at anything much…but she came from one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Manhattan, and that automatically gave her appeal. Add being gorgeous and a sense for danger, most men would be intrigued…she was the ultimate bad girl in New York high society."

"Really?"

"Honest to God," she said, "this girl had slept with probably one fourth of these women's husbands and let to at least a few of the divorces I was mentioning earlier, none as messy as Kate and Edwards…but I'll get to that later.

"James Peterson had a habit of being flirtatious, but as soon as he met Paige their tirade became front page worthy. He barely made an effort to cover it up, and with all the money in the relationship belonging to her husband, Emma-darling was left with nothing to do but watch her marriage slip away from her.

"So when Paige ended up dead?"

"Well, none _actually _think she killed her, but no one, and I mean no one, was crying at the girl's funeral…I don't think in this world they cared enough about Paige to risk the reputation of it all."

From they entryway they heard a "Dinner is served!"

As the women rose to head to the dining room, Alex looked back at Megan and said, "This keeping up with the Jones' business can get dangerous."

Megan only laughed and walked ahead, saying, "Alex, we _are_ the Jones. It doesn't get more dangerous than that."


	13. Relaxing with Pillows

**Hey guys, guess where I was? NYC, home of the Law and Order series! But the good thing about no internet for a week that I spent with family is that I have lot's of new chapters for you : )**

While Alex was busy being a Jones, Bobby was reading a book by new hit thriller writer Mark Jones. The plot, about two American travelers running from the long reaching arm of the law in Singapore, left him sitting at the edge of the couch; he was so involved he didn't notice an arm wrap around his neck.

"Detective, I think you're in trouble."

Bobby froze, half in the world of the novel and half conscious, until he saw that the hand next to his face was manicured and pink. He also felt his assailant press their lips to the back of his neck. _Dead giveaway._

"Hello to you too, Eames."

He heard a soft chuckle come from behind him as Alex came around the arm of the seat and sit next to him as he re-immersed himself inside the novel.

"What are you reading?"

"A book."

"Haha, Goren."

"It's actually really good," he said as Alex snaked her head around the side to peek at the cover, "it's about-"

"With a title like 'Tourist Hunting', I think I've got the plot laid out."

"Really," asked Bobby, turning to meet her eyes which sparkled with playfulness.

"Yeah," she said, turning so he could only see her profile, "there can't be much to it besides tourists…being hunted."

"Well, you're wrong," he replied, taking his hand and raising to her cheek. "For one, these are smart tourists…an ex-colonel and his mystery writer wife…."

"MmmmHmmm," she purred, trapped between his hand and her breathing.

"…and they end up breaking in on a major sting operation by the government in Singapore," he continued, stroking her cheek and gently wrapping his other hand around her waist.

"Yeah," she said, leaning into his embrace. She was starting to enjoy this story.

"…and they have to find a way out of the country before the government takes them into…safekeeping." He kissed her forehead.

"Yep, for their own…protection, right?"

"Yep."

Getting comfortable, she asked, "What happens next?"

Much to her unhappiness, she suddenly felt him withdraw. She turned to see him curled up on the couch as if lost in his book once again, saying offhandedly, "I don't know, that's as far as I've gotten."

He sat quietly for a few moments, repressing a laugh that he knew would infuriate her. He began to think he got away with it when he felt his head slammed with a hard fuzzy object. Wiping his face after the burn of fabric on his skin, he looked to see Alex sitting up on her knees with a throw pillow hanging from her perfectly manicured hand.

"You were saying, Bobby?"

The pillow fight made it's way to the bedroom.

Later that afternoon, the phone designated to be the "civilian" land line to give to the other Hamptonites rang. Eames stirred in bed enough to brush Bobby's arm, which was the touch needed to force him to open his eyes. He turned to look down at her figure, wrapped in the light cotton sheet, before turning his attention to the buzzing phone.

"Mph, phone," she said blearily, shifting under the delicate weight of the fabric.

"I know, Eames," he offhandedly remarked as he grasped the hand piece and pulled it to his ear.

"Hey, Bobby!" he heard with loud music in the background.

"James?"

"Yeah, hey, I heard you and Alex made it down to the Hamptons a few days ago…"

_God, word gets around fast in this town, _Bobby thought.

"Yeah, we're here."

"I was wondering if you would want to come over, just the guys, before the women make us join them at the beach for the Linfield's bonfire tomorrow?"

"Sure, man. I have nothing lined up."

"Great, we'll be watching the Yankees and throwing down a few bears…oh, and…haha…seeing about some girls."

_Is this what a guy's guy is supposed to be like? _Thought Bobby, who's idea of a good time was still sitting wrapped up in the New York Public Library…not that he didn't enjoy the occasional game; he just got the impression that these situations made up the bulk of James' life.

He wrote down the address of the Peterson's summer home. "I'll see you there," he said before hanging up the phone. He turned to look at Eames' amused face but she had fallen back asleep.

_And what did he mean, seeing about some girls?_


	14. Beer, Girls, and Ghosts

As it turned out, James did more than seeing about some girls.

Bobby showed up to the Peterson's back yard expecting a few men, a six pack, and a widescreen TV…

…he got about twenty five guys and just as many women who he could barely believe would be at the legal age to be consuming any of the substances that came out of the four kegs that lined the edge of the backyard. There were speakers around the edge of the setup blaring the latest stats for the baseball game, and some men that Bobby knew had wives were making out with Hooters' girls in the back tent.

He was stunned.

Had he been provided a badge and the opportunity this party would be stopped within minutes, but seeing as he didn't have his badge, was undercover, and didn't want to have to deal with the politics of the situation and the brass, he decided there was only one option: to go in as if he was just another one of the guys.

"Eh, eh! Bobby!"

Bobby turned to the sound of the voice to see James with two women on either side of him and a plastic cup. _Three guesses what's in that, _he thought to himself as he walked over.

"Bobby, this is Linda and her sister Ally. They were just telling me about the Jersey Shore this weekend."

"They all came over here from _Jersey_?" asked Bobby incredulously.

"Man, you're new, so I'll tell you a little something," said James, "We are the shit. Plain and simple-"

"Hey, Jimmy, where's the other keg? We're almost out!" They heard from the beer corner.

"Ed, look in the cellar, there's plenty more!" James yelled, then turning back to Bobby, said winking, "and you know that everyone wants to get with that."

"You're right," Bobby conceded, knowing that these girls would not be here without the free-flowing booze and the ability to hang off millionaires as arm candy. "So, where can I get one?" he asked, gesturing to the beer.

Unfortunately, James didn't catch that gesture. "Oh, Ally is up for anything," he said, pushing the tall and tanned brunette at him. She caught onto Bobby's polo collar and looked at him, smiling.

"Um…" said Goren.

_I am in deep shit._

_Where is he?_ Eames thought as she sat on the beach next to Megan. She picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. The instant rush of alcohol that went through her veins did nothing to soothe her nerves as she checked her watch, noting that Bobby was over an hour late for the second time.

"You know, if you're worried about him you really should try to disguise it better."

Alex sighed, knowing Megan was right. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah, but only to the trained eye." She gestured to the large mass of women and the few men that had come already. "It's 'I'm gonna kill him if he doesn't have a good reason' syndrome…"

"…usually resulting from 'she's attatched' syndrome." She turned to Alex and gave her a wink. "Don't worry, he'll show. Most of the men are still at the Petersons-"

"What! Why the Petersons?" Alex straightened up quickly.

_He just said that he was going out for a walk. _

"It's the closest house to here," Megan responded casually, "only a few minutes walk…"

Alex got up from her lounge chair. _Walk my ass._

"What street do I turn on?"

At that point, the large group had moved inside the tent and Bobby had forcefully downed a few cups of beer imported from Germany and was, knowingly, tipsy. He could feel his grasp on self-control start to slip as Ally threw herself at him, laughing at anything he said (regardless of whether it was funny or not) and touching him as much as possible. As he looked around, he noticed a lot of the men had taken their wedding rings off and relaxed into the cushions with their 'girlfriends'. Meanwhile, James was nowhere to be found, and Bobby didn't want to leave without getting some information out of him.

"Bobby, hey," said James as he came out of the back of the house, the blond he earlier introduced as Linda straightening her shirt. "Made nice with Ally yet?"

"James, I really gotta talk to you…" he said, trying to get him to move the conversation to a more private place.

"Talk then," said James, who was too preoccupied with the preening woman next to him to care.

"Alex and I…we're having some problems…"

"Bobby, I gotta admit," he said, looking at the detective and offering what he thought winning advice, "she's hot."

Ignoring the undercurrent of jealousy that ran threw him at his admitted attraction to Alex, he responded with a shrug.

"But it's not worth the trouble. They all start out hot…then they let themselves go…marriage is only for the parents, Bobby, remember that." He looked at Ally, smiling.

"And I'm gonna help you out: Al, would you please show the man a good time?"

Before he could blink at the meaning of the statement, Ally's mouth was on his, and much to the irritation of Bobby he heard a few whistles and hollers as she pumped her mouth against his closed lips. He tried to turn away, but in the process opened his mouth and unintentionally let her in as he heard a sharp intake of breath from the opening of the tent. "Bobby!"

He forcefully pushed Ally away from him to look up into the livid face of his partner.

"Is this your _wife_? The model Jimmy was talking about?" asked the brunette, tucking her hair behind her ear and giggling. "She's not as tall I thought she would be."

"Honey," said Alex, taking one furious step into the tent, "I don't have to be five ten to know how to kick your-"

"Alex!" Bobby said, as he quickly stood up and tried to guide her out of the tent, but the moment he put his hand on the small of her back she pulled away from his touch like the cold hand of death.

"Don't touch me, Bobby, don't you _dare _touch me."

Bobby felt as if he'd been slapped in the face.

"Let's go," said Alex, walking tightly and deliberately towards the gate.

Bobby followed, a million thoughts running through his head. _What is she thinking? Does she think I threw myself at her? Man, I should have- what the hell?_

As soon as they stepped through the gate Alex's posture changed back to normal and her pace slackened. She turned back to Bobby and said, "Follow me," before making a sharp turn left towards the pier instead of the beach. She continued to lead them through various turns until they were finally behind an abandoned building looking out at the Atlantic. Bobby remained lost in his thoughts until he noticed Alex was no longer standing beside him. He turned around to find her slumped down against the brick wall, her head in her hands.

"Alex?" He asked, confused as hell why they were there.

"This building," she said softly from behind the curtain of her hair, "is the place Ross told me to take us if our work was ever compromised. Do you see the keypad?"

Bobby looked further down the wall and saw a small door and a touchpad. "Yeah, I do."

"Dial 853 and it signals the local police force that something's gone wrong…or we've thrown in the towel," she said as she finally brought her head up to look into his face. It wasn't tear stained, except for a few marks of moisture, put it was pale and drawn as if she had been frightened within inches of her life. "Tell me a reason why I shouldn't dial that number, Bobby."

"What?"

"You went into a suspect's home unarmed, without backup, without telling your partner, with the intention of getting information that I'm assuming never came up?"

"I…" Bobby was beginning to understand.

"Do you realize how familiar this sounds? I can't just be left hanging anymore, Bobby."

"Eames…Alex...I understand that-"

"No, you don't! Do you know what it felt like when you were in that prison and they were doing God knows what to you? Do you even have a clue how scared I was that they had hurt you? How it felt to walk inside that hospital room and know that I had helped you get there?"

Her eyes were getting puffy, and Goren could tell how much this train of thought was draining her by the tears that started streaming down her face like banners telling her guilt.

"It wasn't your fault Alex, I was the one who made the decision."

"And if I had told you that I didn't want you to do it and that I wouldn't help you, would you have gone?"

There was silence that only made the distance between them more strained.

"I don't know," he answered quietly, and it was the truth. At that point he felt as if he was losing everything, and the loss of his partner's support would have been devastating. "But I never would have gotten out without you, Eames."

He started hearing quiet sobs from where she sat. He sat down and swept her up into a bear hug, but he might has well have been holding a tree stump; she made no movements towards or away from him, only continued to sob until their were no more tears to shed.

"Alex, please," Bobby pleaded. "You're my rock. If I don't have you to turn to, I don't know what to do. I get lost."

"Why did you go without telling me?" She asked, her voice still shaken from sobbing.

"I knew you'd be worried, and I didn't want that."

"I'm your partner. It's my job to be worried for you."

"I know, but it's…changed."

And he knew the second he said it that it truly had changed between them; somewhere down the road, the line between partner, friend, and attraction had gotten blurred for Robert Goren and he knew he couldn't separate them anymore. He felt for her too strongly to let her be hurt, to let her fear for him…and these were things that in his line of work had to be accepted of a partner.

"This isn't about Ally, is it…or James' party…"

At the mention of the young brunette Alex's skin bristled, but she remained in her erie calm. "No…as much as I hate him for pushing that bimbo on you…it's not."

"This is about us…me and you."

"Yeah, it is." He brought his hand to her cheek, but as hot as it was, all he could sense was how cold she felt. He cupped her face with his hand and raised it so she could look him in the eye. "We're cops, Bobby. We have to be able to do our jobs."

"Eames, I can't lose you," he said, and she was unsure whether he meant in the workplace or outside of it. "I don't fit right with anyone but you."

"Bobby, can you work with me without letting our relationship get in the way?"

"I don't know," he said, and he meant it. He really didn't know if he knew how to anymore.

She sat against him, letting the words sink in. She knew how big the job was in both of their lives, and how important it was to Bobby, let alone her. It gave her a sense of validation…it let her know that she was using her life to make a difference. There weren't many feelings that were better than that…

…but the idea of going into work day in and day out for the rest of her life didn't compare to the one feeling of waking up next to someone who loved her.

And because of that she already knew her decision.

"You want to end it, don't you?" he asked, aiming his head down so that she couldn't see the disappointment starting to well up in his eyes.

"No, Bobby." She said as he jerked his head back up. "I love you…I don't want to stop, and I don't think I could if I tried."

A smile creeped across his lips as he held her closer. She finally met his embrace and gave his cheek a kiss.

"But it's up to you to decide what this is going to mean for work."

He knew in that moment the trust she was placing in her hands. She was letting him chose if they continued their partnership, something he knew gave meaning to both of them. He also knew she trusted him to take care of her heart...

…which was all he needed.

"Give me tonight to think about how to break it to the captain?" he asked, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"We'll tell Ross in the morning," she said gently against his mouth.

They made their way back to the beach, by which time the remainder of the men had ditched the girls and headed back to their families for the barbeque. The atmosphere was light, and for some reason no one questioned the late arrival of the male section; Alex knew it had to do with the 'code of conduct' among Manhattan's wealth.

Around 11pm the fireworks started to go off, and she noticed that while all of the men had come together with the women and children to watch, Bobby was notably absent.

In fact, Bobby's nerves had finally gotten to him; the imported beer brought him to lie on the beach, half asleep. In his state he hardly noticed the arm slip around his neck, and when he finally noticed it, he smiled silently and said, "Eames, I think I'm-"

He was silenced by a gun butt to the head. As he slumped against the person behind him, he heard someone say, "I thought the detective would be harder to break than that" as he slipped into oblivion.

At 11:15 the fireworks ended, and while everyone was starting to pack up and leave, Alex was starting to panic. She had been looking all over the beach for him but it was as if he'd vanished. Coming back, she saw Megan walk up to her as she approached her lawn chair. "Alex, someone left a note on your chair," she said, "I think it was some blond? I'm not sure, I was with this- Alex?"

Alex rushed past Megan to her chair to see a piece of folded paper under the leg in the sand. She pushed it over and grabbed at the note; reading it, the color drained from her face.

**_Alex,_**

**_You're really starting to get on my nerves. It's hard enough to deal with you as Bobby's partner; you have constantly kept him from my grasp. It turns out you had good reason to be afraid._**

**_This will be hard for you to hear, which comes as no surprise to me since you two seem to have made a change in your, let us say, interactions. You have no clue how much I've missed him…maybe I'll have some fun with him on my own…after all, you can't have been that satisfying._**

**_Your relationship as Bobby's partner has been brilliant; let's see how you deal with my latest twist. Maybe you'll join us in time to catch some of the fun…if you find him alive._**

**_Nicole_**

**_P.S. This might be a good time to dial that code._**


	15. Panic and its Tears

**Now I know right now you're thinking, "Oh no she didn't!"**

**Well I did. Keep reading.**

Alex rushed towards their beach house as quickly as possible. She needed to get to the phone with which she could contact Ross; after that note, Nicole had to be crazy to think she would go anywhere near that pier.

She practically threw herself out of the car and ran up the front steps. Fumbling with the lock, she realized that it was open. _Shit! Has she been here too?_

As she neared the staircase she realized that was a yes. The piano was broken, keys spattered all over the floor. The couch was sliced, and the book Bobby was reading was gone.

She ran up the stairs to inspect the bedroom. Once she got there she sucked in her breath sharply: the bed was overturned, all of the posts broken and the closet drawers were hanging from their sets.

She went to where the bed was and bent down, moving a floorboard to the cubby where Ross had told her to store the cell; thankfully, it was still there. She pulled it out and pressed number 1.

While it rang Eames whispered a silent prayer that Ross had his phone on him until she heard a click. "Eames, this had better be good," she heard his voice say.

"Captain, I, Goren…send help!"

"What? Eames, what happened?"

"He's been taken somewhere…I don't know where he is…"

"Are you sure it's not just a-"

"God damn it, Captain, get help! It's _Nicole_!"

The way she said the name pushed all the right buttons in Ross; he knew of Nicole, if not personally, by reputation.

"I'm sending some dispatches, we'll be there soon."

'Soon' ended up being an hour and a half. Even with sirens, there had been a Yankees game that night and traffic had been murder. By the time Danny Ross and the squad reached the house, Eames was sitting in fetal position on the floor of the bedroom, clutching the cell phone in her hand.

"Eames, what happened?" Wheeler asked, sitting down next to her.

Alex started to go through the night on the beach and finished by holding out the note. Wheeler began to read, but with Logan and Ross looking over her shoulder it didn't take long for them to piece something vital together.

"What she mean, 'you can't have been that satisfying'?" Ross asked, and Eames looked away, silent tears running down her cheek. "Eames, what did she mean?"

When Eames didn't respond, Ross lost control. "Do you mean to tell me two of my detectives used their time paid by the city to…just get in each other's pants?"

At that remark Eames also lost the little control she possessed. Shooting up, she took out all of her frustration and fury on her boss. "Look, _Captain_, one of your detectives is out with a psychopathic killer who would like nothing better than to break him for all he's worth and you're sniping about our relationship?"

"So there was a relationship?" Ross angrily asked.

"That's none of your business!"

"It is my business when you're not doing your job!"

"Don't you dare suggest that I wouldn't do my job! You're busy yelling at me and Bobby could be…oh my God!" she yelled as she fell to the ground, her chest heaving as she panicked. Wheeler put her arms around Alex, and as she began to calm down she said quietly with anger and hurt. "You bastard…not doing my job? Do your job and find my partner!"

"Captain Ross," said an officer standing in the doorway, "the brass, line 2."

The captain only nodded at Logan and Wheeler before stepping out of the room.

Megan Wheeler looked at Alex, a shadow of the detective she normally was, and said, "We'll find him, Eames…but we need to ask you a few questions."

"How was the investigation going?" asked Mike Logan quietly.

Alex took a large gulp of air and started to talk. "It was…it had a few hiccups, but overall we were establishing motive for two possible suspects….James and Emma Peterson…but that was before…" She stopped, looking at the ground, "Nicole."

"We need you to talk us through your day," asked Wheeler.

"Um, Detective Goren and I woke up, everything was normal…he said he was going for a walk…" She looked at the female detective with eyes that begged her to stop.

"I'm sorry, Alex, we need you to continue…did something happen?"

"I went ahead to the barbecue, one of the places we were acting as a married couple, but an hour in Bobby still hadn't showed up. Megan…another Megan…said that the men were at the Petersons."

She stopped, looking to the window where moonlight streamed in, brightening her tearstained face. "Maybe I over reacted…all I thought was 'Why didn't he tell me?'"

"He went into a suspect's house by himself, Eames," said Logan, crouching down next to them. "You had no way of knowing what was going on."

"I walked into their backyard to see four kegs of beer and noise from the tent, a loud male voice…I could have turned back at that point but I didn't; I guess some part of me still felt like something wasn't right.

"I walked into the opening of the tent to see…to…" she turned to look Wheeler in the eyes. "Bobby was kissing some girl…it's not how it sounds! She was throwing herself at him while James was egging him on, he must have gotten him drunk, all the men were there with these random women I had never seen before…he was trying to push her off of him but all I could see was her sitting on his lap, kissing this man that I had fallen in lo- that I had a relationship with."

"What happened next, Alex?"

"She made some stupid comment about me being short…I lost it, I was about to clobber her but Bobby stopped me. I realized I had to keep up the act for our cover. I mean, wives don't just let their husbands cheat on them." Alex sighed. "We yelled a little and then we left."

"Where did you go?"

"To the pier…I told him about the safety code and we talked…" she turned to face her captain as he re-entered the room. "I told him I didn't know if we could have two relationships that each required so much of us…he agreed. We both didn't want to lose each other…I told him I trusted him to make the decision." She looked up at Ross, stinging from his earlier remarks as much as if he had slapped her in the face. "We were going to tell you tomorrow morning."

"Eames…Alex…I am sorry," said Ross, and he meant it.

"Just find Goren?" She asked, pleading with her eyes.

"I'll do everything in my power," he said, "but please continue. Where did you go after the pier?"

"Back to the beach, but Bobby disappeared right before the fireworks. I figured he was just going to the bathroom or something…but when he was gone for about twenty minutes my gut sparked up again; I knew something was wrong.

"I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find him. I walked back towards my chair but I ran into Megan…she said someone left a note for me…_some blond_…I thought it was one of James' whores trying to get back at me…but when I read it…" She straightened up and let her hands fall to her sides. "Captain, I have to be involved in this case."

"Out of the question, Eames, you're too close."

"Is that what you said to Bobby when I got taken?"

"Excuse me for saying this, Eames, but were you sleeping with him when Jo Gage kidnapped you?" The anger blaring from her eyes told him that was a no.

"Look Captain, I have the most knowledge out of anyone here on the case at hand and on Nicole. After Bobby, no one knows her patterns of behavior…how she operates…better than me. I can't sit by and watch other people potentially get hurt knowing that I am one of the best people for the job."

"She's right, Captain," said Logan, "I've never been around during any of her cases involving Wallace, but I know how dangerous she is…and Nicole seems to have her eyes set on Eames being part of this case. If you're looking to do this right, you'll need Eames."

"He's got a point, Ross," Wheeler said.

Danny Ross only sighed before saying, "Fine, but you don't make any decisions without consulting me, clear?"

"Crystal."

"And we're going back to the city…this cover won't get you anywhere…anymore."

Alex processed that statement while Logan, Wheeler, and Ross went into deep conversation. She knew he was going to say 'without Goren', but he stopped himself for the sake of tact. Either way, Eames knew what she had to do.

_Back to the city. _

_Work on the case. _

_Find Bobby._

Eames was the first person in the office that morning, to no one's surprise. Avoiding the stares from her co workers when they entered the building, she systematically pulled four boxes from the filing room, four cases that directly involved Nicole Wallace. She also ran up a list of names of everyone who was at the barbeque up until the note was left. Back stories and leads, truth and fiction, she was discerning more and more about the people there than she felt she ever could undercover.

By the time Ross came into work, he found Wheeler and Logan being given a debriefing by Alex on the information she had been gathering since the wee hours of the morning.

"Eames, when did you get here?" the captain asked.

"3 am," she said nonchalantly, and returned to her conversation. "I am starting to think we…Bobby and I…were going in the wrong direction with this case…then again this is before Nicole stepped into the picture. Now that I know she's back makes this case seem more and more like a set up."

"Did you get any sleep?" he continued persistently.

"No," she said, then continued. "Think about it: we had the perfect suspects, the perfect motive, all of our information pointed to it…why give the murder to major case? Because she knew that it would send Bobby and I undercover. Continue following that line of questioning and the suspect list changes from people who were connected to Paige to the people who have connections to the NYPD."

"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it…" said the captain, "Who have you narrowed it down to?"

"Andre Mansfield, the son of Richard Mansfield, notorious mob leader and suspected to be in the witness protection program. If he had some strings to pull, all he had to do was contact his father's protectors and see if they would exchange information for-"

"That's a bit of a stretch…"

"Yes, but the next two aren't. Weston and Anne Engleton," she said, offering their pictures to the captain.

"They donate heavily to the Police Academy every year and happen to be close personal friends with Paige's sister. Now Paige's sister used to have an engagement to Nicole's ex husband, but he broke it off at the last minute. There was another rumor I heard while undercover, that the Engletons had blackmail over Gavin Haynes for the reason he ended the courtship. A small 'favor' asking that major case handle Paige's death in exchange for keeping the secret would definitely not be above Nicole's twisted sense of right and wrong."

"Sounds fair. Bring them in for questioning."

"And finally," Alex continued after a nod of approval from Ross, "Megan Basset."

"The same Megan that-"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Eames, sighing. "She is cousins with the Police Comissioner and would have the most pull over the direction of our case…and the sad thing is, I think she's the one we should look at the most. She practically sought me out the first time I met her and most of my time spent undercover, when not with Bobby, was spent with her. She tipped me off to the Petersons, which suggests that she knew about my case. She could have controlled parts of the case from both sides of the operation and tipped off Nicole. We all…well at least I know that Nicole never does anything without one or two lackeys…but something gives me the idea there was a second person involved."

"Then Basset is where we'll focus our energy. Logan, Wheeler, call her in…tell her both Bobby and Alex are missing and we need her help to find them. If she seems like she knows more than she's letting on, go into more aggressive questioning."

"Eames, call the DA's office and get an Assistant DA down here…then go to sleep in the crib."

"But Captain," she said before she failed at choking back a yawn.

"That's an order, Eames," said Ross before walking into his office.

The door to the crib squeaked closed as the small female detective made her way to the back. She found the most secluded cot before sitting down and letting the tears that plagued her previous night's lack of sleep come boiling to the front.


	16. Q and A

**Sorry it's been so long; one of my family members has been ill and I've been taking care of her for a few weeks. I'll get back to regular posting now that I'm home.**

_Ugh._

Bobby may have been exhausted, but forgetful he was not.

The cord that bound his wrists and ankles was tight, and he could already feel the welts that were forming start to bite against the rope. His eyes were covered with a blindfold and he could feel the gag against his chapped lips.

_Where the hell am I?_

The last thing he remembered was an arm around his neck and a hard object slamming into his head, and then darkness. He tried to feel around his body for any telltale signs for where he could be, but the cord mercilessly cutting into his flesh stopped any further attempts. He hissed quietly against the pain in his arms and resigned himself to laying flat on the cold, bare mattress he had woken up on.

Surprisingly the first thoughts he had outside of escaping were not of fear, but of his partner's angry face as he tried to explain himself out of his latest blunder. _Eames is going to kill me. _

In fact, all he could think about was their last conversation, how he was ready to give up their partnership and his life as he had come to know it for her…and how when he had been ready to let everything go, he got kidnapped.

The sad truth of it, he realized, was that he knew exactly what had happened. He had surprised himself in the fact that he hadn't seen it coming. _What one person knows how to mess with my life better than myself? Who else would want to do this to me?_

He knew who was behind this, so when he heard the door squeak open and he felt the gag on his mouth loosen and his blindfold rip off, all he really had to say was, "You."

….

"Hi, Megan, we just have a few questions."

Logan and Wheeler led Megan Basset into the interrogation room and shut the door. Far from looking anxious or nervous, Megan seemed the epitome of calm. _Probably from being related to the Commissioner, _Mike thought.

"No problem, although I'm not quite sure what this is about-"

"It's about the Duvalls. I'm sure you've heard that the police were at their house a few nights ago."

"Yes…I don't have any clue why, though, I don't like to pry."

"Bullshit," said Alex to her captain from behind the one-way mirror, "she gave me enough information on everyone she knew to finish a book."

"Well, both Alex and Bobby are missing," said Wheeler, "and we think that they might have been kidnapped."

"Why?" asked Megan, her lips pulling into a pouting question mark.

"Because they had some information, through connections, that linked them with this woman." Wheeler slid out a photo. "Elizabeth Hitchens a.k.a Nicole Wallace."

Megan peered over at the photo before pushing it slightly away. "I don't know any woman by that name…"

"…because," said Logan, "she generally uses people in vulnerable positions to help her do her dirty work..."

"I am not vulnerable, Detective. Are you saying that you are considering me a suspect?"

"No, ma'am," replied Wheeler, "what we mean is that it could be anyone that was there at the time of the kidnapping…maybe some hired help, family members, random people…"

"-And you figured because I was spending time with Alex I could be of help?"

"Exactly."

"Well I never really knew Alex well, we just talked a few times very briefly. I did know she was very sweet on her husband, even if he wasn't so sweet on her."

"What do you mean?" Logan asked.

"Well, Alex decided to go check on her husband at a party he told her she was going to. She didn't like that idea for some reason, and when they came back together I could tell she had been crying…but that's what happens when you hang around with people like James."

"James?"

"James Peterson…he's bad company."

Eames shook with private fury. "She's lying through her teeth, trying to look innocent." She turned to Ross. "Captain, she's hiding something…can't I just-"

"-No, Eames, let Logan and Wheeler do what they do."

"But you said before they had some information; I'm sorry, I don't understand what two people from Michigan would have on a criminal."

"It's confidential."

"So they were working with the police?" Megan asked, her innocently curious face not giving any clue to her thoughts.

"Let's just say they knew they were in danger," Wheeler responded, dodging the question. "They came to the Hamptons expecting relief and ended up in the hands of a murderess."

"Oh," said Megan, "so she was a killer? Was she convicted?"

"No," said Logan, "but we have reasonable suspicion-"

"In which case, you've invited me here to help you convict someone who, by law, has not yet committed a crime." She began to stand up.

"Ms. Basset-"

"It's Mrs. Basset, Detective, and I have to leave now. Have a good day." She rose and walked towards the door, pulling it open and letting it slide shut behind her as she exited the building.

"For someone who you thought was a good contact, she didn't seem to give a damn about you," said Logan as he walked into the room with Wheeler close behind.

"I noticed, Logan," said Eames, disappointed. "But she did seem extremely protective of Wallace's rights considering she never met her."

"Until we have a legitimate charge to bring her in on, we can't do anything else involving Megan Basset," Ross replied, "but we can look into finding the second accomplice, if there is one."

"I'm certain there is, Captain," Eames said.

"And I'm not so certain, but it's the only lead we have right now. Logan, Wheeler, check all of the people who were hired to cook at the barbeque in the Hamptons, and follow up on Basset's husband. Eames, didn't you tell me he was out of the picture?"

"Yeah, but a lot of things I knew about her are apparently wrong…wait, if she remarried recently-"

"-She could invoke her right to stay silent about her partner and his possibly criminal dealings," finished Wheeler.

"So make it a priority to find out about her new beau."

…..

While the detectives waited for a faxed copy of Megan's marriage license, they checked through the list of people who attended and worked at the beach barbeque, and only two names stood out: Megan Basset and Anthony Middleton. Anthony, as well as Megan, was at all events attended by the undercover detectives, but the main difference was that while Megan was a guest, Anthony was a hired hand.

"So this Anthony, what role did he play?" Logan asked, hands supporting his head as he leaned back and crossed his legs in his desk chair.

"It seems like he was some sort of butler-"

"-Wait, butler?" asked Alex, the name now ringing a bell. "Middleton was the annoying guy with the fake accent? I knew I recognized him." She flipped through Wheeler's notes. "Check to see if he was late to the barbeque."

"Why?"

"Because I think he was working at 'James' attempt at a midlife crisis' party."

"In other words-"

"What if something was slipped into one Bobby's drinks? Something that, a few hours later, would leave him in a vulnerable state?"

"A drug?" asked Logan. "Don't you think Bobby would have been able to tell?"

"With that crazy hormone-driven brunette attacking him the entire time?" Alex sighed. "No, unfortunately, I don't think so."

"Marriage certificate is in," said Ross, walking up to them, "Megan Basset is now a Megan Basset-Middleton, marriage date two weeks ago. Detectives, I think you should concentrate on finding this guy, start with the people that he's been in contact with."

Alex thought for a second before speaking, eyes deadly determined. "Do you think we could hold James for endorsing underage drinking?"

"Do you have any names to support that?"

"Do I," said Eames, pulling out a legal pad with names and ages scrawled across it. "Angela Richter, 19; Linda Marshall, 20; Alison Marshall, 17….the list goes on. About fifteen of the twenty five girls were under 21 and drinking imported beer."

"Eames, is this getting too personal for you?" Ross asked only to be met with an angry glare from the female detective. "Okay, Logan and Wheeler will bring him in and put him in the cell, but you get to question him. I'm trusting you to use your judgment, Alex."

Alex nodded, sure she would be able to exercise judgment but not necessarily restraint.


	17. The Undoing of James

"Hey! Did you hear me? I told you you're messing with the wrong guy!"

From his house in the Hamptons to the holding cell in 1 PP, James Peterson was still the same boisterous, self-assured prick Eames thought he was. From the moment he was picked up, he had harassed Logan and Wheeler to no end. By the time they sat him behind bars, he had catcalled, whistled, yelled, and thrown his ego around to the point that Megan Wheeler began to wonder if her partner would keep calm enough not to hurt his prisoner.

"Mike, maybe you should go get Eames…"

"Why me?" asked Logan as he inadvertently squeezed his fists.

"Because I think you need to spend some time away from this guy before you lose your cool," she said calmly.

"Fine," he said stiffly as he turned towards the cell and James. "You think I'm dangerous?" He asked, leaning against the bars. "Eames is going to kill you."

He stood up and walked out as James said to Wheeler, "How do you work with him? You look way to attractive to be stuck in this dump with _him_."

"It's easy to work a guy when you know he's not the one breaking the law with underage girls, and especially if he's the one protecting it."

"Touché," said James, leaning in (as far as the bars of his cell allowed) towards the subject of his flirtation, "but that was a misunderstanding. I thought they were older." He shrugged. "What are you doing after work? This Eames guy…he can't be that tough and soon my lawyer will get me out of here."

"Well, unfortunately," said the detective, leaning in with intentions anything but flirtatious, "you're officially being held as a material witness to a murder investigation." She watched as his eyes involuntarily widened before adding, "and Eames? _She _is more than capable of being tough…here she is now…let's see if you recognize her."

With that, she leaned back so James Peterson could get a full view of Alex Eames smiling at him in the doorway. "Hi James," she said. "Remember me?"

"_Alex?_"

"Detective Eames," she said, uncrossing her arms and walking over to his cell.

"So you're not from Michigan? And you were never a model?"

"Afraid not."

"Hmm," said James, realizing he had been duped and not liking it, "you did seem a little short for that line of work."

"And you seem to be a little clueless if you think this kind of flattery will get you anywhere in a murder investigation."

"I don't know anything about a murder or an investigation-"

"So you forgot about Paige that easily?" asked Alex, slipping a picture between the bars.

"Oh, Paige," said James like an afterthought. "I admit, we had a thing going but I have no ties to anyone that might have killed her."

"Well, actually, I think you do." Eames opened the cell and slipped inside, sitting as far away from James on the bench as possible. "You see, at this party of yours you hired an Anthony Middleton, who we believe is connected to her death…he's also connected to the kidnapping of a detective very important to the NYPD. Have any guesses who that could be?"

"Your husband."

Those words still put tingles down Alex's spine. "My partner."

James smirked. "Could have fooled me."

"Well, we did. We did fool you Mr. Peterson, and now Detective Robert Goren is missing for doing his civic duty to go undercover and put a murderer off the street. We need your full cooperation to help us catch Middleton."

James Peterson leaned closer to where Alex was sitting. "You know, you didn't seem to be concentrating on his civic duty when he was kissing one of my girls…or when he was kissing you."

Alex looked up at him with cold, stony eyes and said the only thing she ever wanted to speak to this man again. "You know, James," she said in near whisper, "I thought you were just an ignorant prick, but now I know you're an opportunist that takes advantage of whatever situation he can. I feel sorry for Paige for being stuck with someone like you."

His fury came bursting through his blue irises, and Eames knew he hated her for talking to him that way. "I know you have no respect for women, but maybe you'll respect this: I'm giving you ten seconds to tell me everything you know until I walk out that door and I charge you for endorsing underage drinking. Let's see…15 girls…6 kegs of beer…how long do you think you could handle jail, James?" She stood up and headed towards the door.

"Okay!" she heard him say in exhaustion and for probably the first time in his life, defeat. "Middleton was recommended to me by this woman…Megan…we'd gone around the bases a few times and she told me he could keep secrets…as you can imagine, I don't need my wife throwing a tiff."

"By around the bases you mean?"

"We'd had sex."

"Well, that's funny…when I talked to her she called you cursed…that you invited in a 'homewrecker'."

"Really?" said James, and Eames was sure that the slender vein on his forehead was throbbing. _I KNOW he hates being talked down to by anyone without a dick._ "Well, who do you think got the girls to come to the Hamptons in the first place?"

"Megan Basset?"

"Exactly. She said she bred horses? Bullshit. Her ex-husband bred horses. She was a stripper who dug into his account." He chuckled. "All of her friends? Complete bimbos who did whatever I said. Got it, _Detective?_ I run that show, not her…but she brings the girls, I bring the booze and somehow she gets off."

"And Middleton?"

"He was probably just another pawn for her to get farther along in whatever game she played."

"I got that, Peterson, give me an address."

He turned over the picture Eames had held out earlier and pulled out a pen.

"1169 Hawthorn Lane in Bannock, New Jersey. I used to sneak out there sometimes with her to get it out of my system. Now can I go home?"

The detective took the paper and stood up. "And risk you talking to all the neighbors? Really, James, you don't know me at all."

…

"So this Megan Basset was a stripper?"

"We talked to the Commissioner," Logan said. "Apparently she's been a pain in his family's side since the mid 80's: alcoholism, strip clubs, you name it."

"So she's fair game," said Ross. "And how about that address?"

"Well, the address checks out, but local authorities have been extremely cooperative. There's no one home; it looks like the love birds have flown the coup." Wheeler sat back and sighed. "I don't understand why everything keeps slipping through our fingers-"

"I do!" said Alex, jogging across the room to their desks. "It took me three hours to find all of this out, so listen! And then we have to go." She looked across the hall at the clock. "…shit, there's going to be so much traffic!"

"What, Eames, what is it?"

"Megan Basset, before getting married, was a Megan Anderson. We searched for the properties in the Basset name and didn't find squat, but Megan Marie Anderson owns a private house upstate at the base of the Adirondack Mountains…close to Lake Placid…"

"How did you find all this out?"

"Later, Captain, I have the address and I'll explain the rest later, and I can make the drive in 5 hours but we have to leave _now_!" With that, she ran to her locker, grabbed her holster and her badge, and rushed to the door.

Ross stopped her before she got to the exit.

"You checked with the local authorities?"

"Yes!"

"You're sure this is the one?"

"Yes!"

"And you think Goren-"

"Captain, I am trying_, really_ trying, to find my partner but at every avenue you question my resolve! Why are you doing this?"

Ross sighed. "Because the last time we ran after your partner he was suspended and we had the brass on our asses for months…I'm trying to help."

Eames silently yet angrily looked him in the eye before acknowledging the truth. He was really only trying to protect them. "I know your trying to help…but you have to trust my instincts if I am going to be able to do my job, and right now…Bobby needs more than our hesitancy, he needs our strength. He wouldn't let me be there for him before…I'm going to be there now."

Ross stared at her for a second before turning to Logan and Wheeler, saying, "Let's go."


	18. Measured in Hours

**Hour 1**

It was his third day in captivity, but Bobby couldn't tell the sun from the moon at this point. In the dark, secluded space he was in, time stood still. There was no light through any window, no sound through the padded insulation that coated the walls, no relief from the suffocating heat, and no company except for his captor, which he hardly called welcome.

The last time she came through she had walked in with a crisp white blouse and navy blue jeans to "visit". _Visit, _he thought, _more like an extended imprisonment._ "Hello, Bobby," she said in her sickeningly sweet voice after he recognized her.

"Hello, Nicole."

"How are you feeling?" she asked, coming around to sit on a wooden chair placed in front of the mattress Bobby was still handcuffed to.

"How do you think I am feeling?" Bobby said declaratively, sick of her twisted games. "I'm handcuffed to a fucking mattress!"

Nicole's eyes changed from sweet to angry, venom seeping through her pupils. She got up and went to the side of the mattress, grabbing hold of his belt. "Now Bobby, do you not remember the last time you acted up?" she asked, undoing the buckle with wiry fingers. "Good boys don't speak that way to their betters."

She pulled it off and undid the button and started pulling down the zipper when he said desperately, "I'm sorry, Nicole, I'm sorry, please, _please_…just, don't…do…that!"

Bobby still shut his eyes hours after she had abused him…again. The idea of her running her hands along him made him sick to his stomach, and he struggled to hold himself together as he began to break out in a cold sweat. As the chilled beads of perspiration fell down his forehead onto the mattress, he knew that she was the way she was because she had been abused: he knew the cycle, he knew the pain she must have felt…and despite that, he knew he hated her with absolute surety.

….

Rush hour traffic was murder, and Alexandra Eames was doing her best not to commit it against her fellow New York drivers. Honking and being pushy, she desperately wanted to steamroll ahead and squash the car that had cut ahead of her on the freeway.

"Asshole," she muttered under her breath.

Logan, still confused about what was going on, asked from the back seat ",Eames, where did you find the records of Megan's-"

"From a friend."

"Who?"

"Let's just say, to get them as fast as I did took some persuading…come on, man!" She honked repeatedly at the other driver who completely disregarded her turn signal.

"Detective…"

"Okay, so I promised to take care of a few parking violations!"

"Eames," Captain Ross gently chided, "you don't have the authority to do that."

"Well," said Alex, cutting a close curve that put her on the exit heading upstate, "you know that…I know that…Mark Wessley doesn't know that." In another time, she would have felt bad about lying to a man who seemed to have very good intentions, at least towards Eames, but for now her partner and lover was her top priority. She swerved intentionally to get into the carpool lane with a move that normally would have gotten her pulled over if she hadn't happened to be in a cop SUV.

"Eames, what's going on? You afraid Goren won't be there?" Logan joked, hoping to make her smile. _She's taking this too hard, _he thought.

Unfortunately, he saw the grave reply etched into her face through the mirror. "With Nicole, that kind of twist is exactly what I'm worried about."

**Hour 2**

The darkness persisted; the heat never faded. He felt every inch of his forty plus years drain his strength slowly, taking his resolve to find an escape slowly from him. He did not know when she would come back, and sure enough, he knew he didn't want to know unless it would help him get out of his prison.

The routine was always the same: she would come in and stare at him as he lay handcuffed to the mattress, sometimes for hours, then start a Q and A session. Soon enough, Bobby's temper would begin to flair and he would do something to piss her off…

…and then Bobby would shut his eyes to avoid seeing her in his nightmares.

Nicole's virtual presence made him unconsciously tug at the handcuffs she had switched from the original twine that had bound his hands with. He remembered how she had talked when she switched them.

"_Fitting, don't you think Bobby? A prisoner of your own conscience?"_

"_What do you mean? What did I do to deserve this from you Nicole?"_

He remembered how her eyes had suddenly misted, become entranced with memory and cloudy with confusion.

"_You and your partner took everything from me…you have no guilt, Bobby? Are the images of your poor psychotic mother and wayfaring nephew the only images that keep you up at night?"_

Bobby didn't concentrate on much in the cell he was in, but he did hear her words and asked what anyone whose job relied on clues would ask.

"_How did you know about my nephew?"_

She fell out of her trance like she had fallen from heaven into a sad, longing stare at the wall. Almost as if yearning for something better, she said:

"_Another time, Bobby, another time."_

….

Alex was sticking to the speed limit…barely. If not for her boss in the passenger side she would have been pushing 100 mph, but him and the constant reminder that she did not want to seem like she was falling apart we're enough to keep her around 60.

Ross had spent the better part of the hour talking to the local Lake Placid authorities, making sure there would be back up and talking through other negotiations. The main problem was deciding whose jurisdiction took precedence: the kidnapping for the Lake Placid police or the murder for the NYPD. Eventually, the big city beat the small town; a call from the commissioner seemed to clear everything up. Detectives Eames, Logan, and Wheeler with Captain Ross would be going in with six Lake Placid cops…

…With Nicole, Alex wasn't even sure that was enough.

She remembered the way Bobby and Nicole would go at each other in interrogation, each slowly picking the other apart piece by piece, and she hoped that for once Nicole would leave him semi-whole.

**Hour 3**

She was back.

She had been sitting on the chair for about twenty minutes, staring at him through her full lashes. Her blond hair fell slightly over her shoulders and her skirt gave full attention to her remarkably smooth and creamy legs.

_She would have been beautiful if she wasn't pure evil._

Bobby had gotten tired of having nowhere to look but at her face, so he continued to look to the right, at the floor. Looking at her face meant looking into her eyes, and when he couldn't read her it frustrated him. She had hybrid pupils, half of the time seeping sympathy while the other half seeping revenge.

"Nicole?" He asked before he realized he had spoken.

"Why, Bobby, you're particularly talkative tonight."

_So it's nighttime…_

"Nicole, why are you doing this?"

She looked down at him before twisting her lips into a half smile.

"Because a normal life is not for you, Robert Goren."

He grimaced at his own words being used against him.

"So this is some form of revenge…but why murder Paige?"

"Detective," she said, shaking her head gently, "getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we?" She stood up, and instead of walking over to Bobby she turned and paced the room. "Why would I dirty my hands with such a bad family?"

"So you hired someone else?"

She stopped and swung around. "Bobby, honestly, you're my captive and you act as if you're still playing cat and mouse…"

"Alright then."

She went back to her chair and they were still for a while, before she said. "I don't need to break you now detective…you're already broken." She stood up and walked over to his mattress. "You've been broken." She sat down in her usual spot, and Bobby began to close his eyes. Instead of hearing his pants unzip, however, he heard a snap over his head.

The handcuffs were off. He felt a hard pinch on his wrist before it started to go numb.

"You'll be breaking into little bits far after tonight."

He wanted to get up and steamroll her, to use his fists to clobber her into a bloody pulp…

…but his wrists and arms were swollen, he was malnourished, and his legs were still bound.

A few seconds later the last would change, but it did not stop the numbness from spreading or stop him from being physically incapable of attacking Nicole.

And with a smile, she turned and walked out the door; he heard the click to show that it was locked.

**Hour 4**

Nicole walked down the stairs, and into the kitchen where Megan and Tony were waiting.

"How did it go?" Megan asked, but Nicole just went into the pantry to search for something she didn't know.

_Maybe this was a mistake._

Megan Anderson had been a high school dropout, much to the irritation of her hardworking middle class parents, and left her house in New Rochelle to become a stripper in Jersey. It was there she met both her ex-husband and Tony, but the differences between the men were night and day. Her ex was charming at first, but controlling, making her stay at his ranch and spend her time learning how to feed horses and dogs, deal with their stalls, watch them run free to new owners while she was forced to say with hers.

So eventually, she left. She hopped on a bus that took her back to the strip club that had changed her life for the worst, and hoped this time it would change her life for the better…

…it was all she knew.

So when she met Tony, crass, hardly the type of man she would have brought home when she truly had one, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

It turned out life had been hard on Tony too. They both knew what it was like to make mistakes and how they would cling to their paychecks as their only sign of security. It made them more than lovers, she had thought, it gave them a deep understanding of the other's motives for living.

So when one day she got off of her shift, she found a note and a box of chocolates in the changing room addressed to her. The only thing it had on it was a number and a title: _A way to get ahead._

Megan had never believed in a god, but she did believe in signs, and she figured this was a way to finally make her life better…

…and so began a year's journey of lying, bribing, killing, and torturing for one woman who promised them both a way out of their everyday.

She turned as Nicole cleared her throat behind them. They turned around to stare at her 9 mm. Her face was serious and sure, leaving no doubt in Megan's mind that she had chosen wrong.

**Hour 5**

The SUV cop car turned into the unpaved road to the house, followed by one other car while backup waited at the gate. Down the half mile trek on gravel and dirt, Alex only thought about Bobby…_has she hurt him? Is there still a "him" to be hurt?_

The anxiety going through her was of both fear and hope, and she didn't know which one would prevail if Bobby was nowhere to be found.

The second the house pulled into view through the trees bordering it she screeched the car to a halt. Jumping out of the vehicle, the others struggled to keep up as she ran to the door. Logan yelled, "Eames," as she opened the unlocked entryway and stepped through without backup. She knew what she was doing was dangerous but the need to find her partner overtook that risk.

She walked down the hallway to the end, gun drawn, and turned to the left to find blood all over the kitchen. Megan and her lover's bodies were massacred with bullets and full of holes.

The sight made Eames' stomach turn, not for the loss of Megan Basset, but for the fear that Bobby had shared the same fate. She turned to the corner to release the contents of her stomach, but nothing came out: she had not eaten or slept for hours.

As she finished dry heaving she noticed the rest of the force had come in, checking connecting rooms and doors. She stood up slowly, a grave realization coming to her.

"He's not here, is he?" she said despairingly.

"Wait!" she heard from behind her, as she turned around to see a cop open a small, curtained door inside something that would have looked like a large cabinet to someone who wasn't looking for the captive of a madwoman. There were curved stairs behind the curtain that led upwards.

Alex rushed in and climbed the steps with necessity while the others, who were quite a bit taller, had to lumber slowly behind. She got to the door at the top of the flight and she twisted the doorknob severely but it was jammed. She took her gun from the holster and quickly and deliberately fired two shots at the handle; the whole mechanism came apart as she heard "Officer under fire!" resonate through the stairwell.

She didn't care about the police and their fear one of their own had been hurt; she didn't care about the reality that he might have been killed; she didn't care about the possibility he might not be there.

All she knew was that she was going to open the goddamn door and find out.

She pushed it open to find Bobby lying on the mattress, his body twitching and foam beginning to come from his mouth. She rushed over to him as he began to spasm, taking the chair and elevating his legs before moving to his hand and giving it a tight squeeze.

"Call an ambulance!" she yelled, hoping whatever poison Nicole had put in his system could be treated before it was too late.


	19. Reunion

"Blood Pressure's dropping!"

"Hand me the mask, oxygen, now!"

"Get me a read on the heart rate…"

The ambulance ride was probably the most hated part of Alex's job, but this particular ride hit her the hardest…

…because the man she loved was slowly losing hold of reality.

As she watched him slip further and further inside of himself, his skin pale and his eyes turn red and bloodshot, she prayed. Alexandra Eames was never particularly religious, and apart from celebrating Christmas and Easter, she never really stepped foot inside the Catholic church…but with Bobby clinging to his life she quietly spoke the name of every saint she knew, every prayer she remembered, every bit of God she had ever known.

The God that had brought her life, the God that took her husband, the God that brought Nathan, the God that took Bobby's mother, the God that brought her family, friends, and stability, the God that kept her going at work, and the God that decided Bobby's fate…

…she hoped that the God who professed to know so much about love would let her keep hers.

She went with the EMTs as they exited the ambulance, matching their strides with her own, until she reached a partition at which one said, "Sorry, ma'am, no further."

She found her way into the connecting waiting room where Ross, Logan, and Wheeler were seated, but instead of going to converse with them or receive any sign of comfort, she headed to a solitary corner and crumbled into a seat.

Megan Wheeler walked over to Alex, rubbing her back before sitting down next to her. Alex was muttering some psalm she knew she would have remembered if she was younger, staring at the floor as if it would bring deliverance.

"There was nothing we could do, Alex," she said quietly.

"Please," she said quietly, "don't talk like that…don't talk as if he's dead."

"Okay…but there's nothing that you did that was wrong. You did everything right."

"She's right, Eames," said Ross, "If I hadn't been so concerned with our jobs…"

"Captain, let's not think about that, okay?" asked Alex, looking up as a doctor came out.

"Detectives," the doctor said, "I'm Dr. Regent."

"What's going to happen to Detective Goren?" Ross asked.

"Well, when we got to him, the poison had already spread to many of his organs, including his lungs and his heart."

"Oh God," Alex said quietly.

"Luckily, the poison the assailant used usually does not have long lasting effects, but when it meets with vital organs, it could get complicated-"

"How complicated?" asked Logan.

"He will survive…"

"I'm guessing there's a but-"

"-But I don't know how his body will react to the way the poison spread. He'll be more prone to heart attacks, severe asthma, heart arrhythmia…all of these things could be triggered by a high stress environment."

"So you're saying…"

"I think it would be best, maybe temporarily, maybe permanently, if Robert Goren was not a detective."

Only silence echoed through the waiting room. _Goren, not a detective?_ Nobody knew how to answer that question. Nobody knew how he would react.

"Can we see him?" asked Wheeler.

"Only one at a time: as you can imagine, his heart is still in a fragile condition. We don't want to over excite him, and we'll probably want to hold him for about a week until we're sure he's up to going home; even then, he'll need someone to take care of him."

All three officers turned to Alex. "Eames?"

"I'll do it," she said, "as long as I can see him first."

"Of course," said the doctor. "Follow me."

….

Robert Goren's hospital room was whitewashed with the curtain from the windows drawn to shut out the light that was encroaching from the incoming dawn. His bed was covered in thin medical blankets and an IV full of fluids was attached to his arm. His face was a pale, sickly color, and even with the oxygen he was receiving he felt enclosed…

…but nothing could keep his dry lips from smiling as his Eames walked through the door.

"Hey," he said hoarsely before looking unintentionally at the nightstand to his left.

"Don't speak yet," Alex said, rushing to his side to pick the cup of water off the nightstand and let him sip. He relished in the cool relief to his chapped lips and coated throat as well as from the care of a loved one before she pulled it back and let it sit on the countertop. "Better?" she asked.

"It is," he said, taking his left hand and grasping her right weakly. "I'm so glad you're here, Alex."

That line was the final crack in the dam.

Alex fell into the chair next to his bed sobbing, left hand clutching her face while her right never left his touch. She felt as if her whole world had been ripped out from under her and the only sound that could bring her back down, the only voice that could ground her and make her feel complete again was the one that just spoke her name.

"Alex?" Bobby asked as he turned his face to face hers and rubbed circles with his thumb into her palm. "What is it?"

"I'm just so…" she started, retracting her hand from his only to use it to cup his face, tracing the outline of his cheekbone and jaw. "I can't believe I get to see you again."

"Even when I was trapped with…" he started, but found himself unable to speak the name of the person who had caused them both so much pain, "…her…I knew you would come for me. You're my rock, Eames."

She laughed weakly, brushing tears from her face. "I'd be lying if I didn't say that over the course of the past few days I realized just how much I really need you." She ran her hand over his gray hair and along the stubble that had come over his cheeks. "Don't ever leave me, okay?"

"Couldn't if I tried."

The tender moment was only broken by the on duty nurse who was making her rounds. She stopped by the doorway and with a gentle knock on the frame, Eames took his hand and kissed it. "The other's want to visit, and I have to go talk with the doctor for a minute, but I'll be right outside the door, okay?"

"Okay," he said, obviously sad to see her go but realizing it was necessary. He watched her walk out of the waiting room, knowing his heart went with her.

….

Over the course of the next half hour the other three officers went to have their separate visits with Bobby, and Alex sat dutifully outside the room as the door remained open for Logan and Wheeler's visit and closed for Ross'. She had struggled to find a comfortable position in the chair, and once she did she found herself immersed in the desire to sleep. She had almost completely fallen under its spell when she received a tap on her shoulder and the warm aroma of coffee under her nose.

"Decaf," Dr. Regent said, "after an all-nighter like last night you'll still be needing some sleep."

"Mmmm," said Alex, following the smell as she brought the coffee up to her lips. "Thanks."

"I heard you had some questions….I don't know how much I can answer, seeing as how you and Detective Goren are not technically related…"

"Well, the thing is…his family is gone. His mother passed away last year and his brother is so far out of the picture…let's just say, I'm what he's got."

Dr. Regent looked seriously at Alex for a second before saying, "You two are involved, aren't you? Romantically, I think."

Alex blushed. "Is it that obvious?"

"You seem to know the most about him of anyone here and, frankly, before you saw him you looked like the most disheveled person I've ever seen…and that's saying a lot in my line of business."

"Oh…"

"But I guess I can slide a little on the technicalities in this circumstance."

"Okay," she said, sitting up straight. "What is your medical, no…what is your personal assessment of what happened, besides the poisoning…something seems kind of off."

Dr. Sarah Regent sighed. Twelve years in the medical profession and she still hated this part of the job. "When he was seriously under the effects of the drug, he was muttering…words like 'stop, don't, just not that, please, _please _Nicole…'"

Alex gulped, afraid where her next question would take her.

"Do you think she abused him…sexually?" she choked out.

"I don't know," said the doctor, rubbing her forehead, "we got his permission for a rape kit and the results should come back in the morning, but from what he's described, the acts…they were…she only used her hands."

Alex let out a strangled sigh, bogged down in all of the muck that had just been dropped into her mind as if it were a garbage dump for Nicole's evil.

"Don't be confused, Detective, he could still have all of the symptoms that follow a typical rape…depression, anxiety, detachment…the next few months will be vital to seeing how he will go on with his life.

"Now, I don't normally say this, but it seems you two depend a lot on each other. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this relationship, from what I've seen, is healthy for him to have…and this is just my personal opinion. Just remember that things might be rocky for a little while before they get better…but I've seen people struggle and make their way, and I can tell you that it can get better. If you like I can recommend counseling…" She looked at Eames, wondering if she had overstepped her boundary.

"I'll ask him about it," Alex responded, trying to keep a smile on her face in such grim circumstances. "Thank you again, doctor."

….

By the time Alex had gone through writing down a statement for the record and IDing the victims, it was night again. She walked back into Bobby's hospital room to find him asleep. The color had crept back into his face, and although he still looked week, her fears had regressed miles into the background.

She slipped into the chair next to the bed and risked touching his hand, afraid he would think it was Nicole in his sleep…

…but his lips curled into a gentle smile and he muttered, "Alex." Even subconsciously, he knew her touch.

Bobby knew it was her.

He knew he was safe.

_It'll turn out alright._

**Okay guys, I haven't written as me in quite a few chaps, so let me tell you, we are nearing the end of this story; however, do not panic. I REPEAT, DO NOT PANIC.**

**I've decided I can't fit all I want to in this particular story, so this is going to be the first installment in a continuation of BA goodness. I promise, this will not turn out like Take the Bullet because a) I never go down the same road twice with a plot bunny and b) I think my writing has improved tenfold and I absolutely refuse to step back to my old ways (I like the new stuff just fine).**

**So there you go. I hope you'll look forward to the last few chapters and the next story in this series which will be titled **_**Shift.**_


	20. Trust and Pastrami on Rye

For three days Robert Goren was kept on a strictly liquid diet while medical professionals preformed tests, which meant for a total of six days he fasted. Through captivity and emergency, Bobby had nothing but water and chicken broth, and while normally his stomach and irritation would have given him away, the mere presence of Alexandra Eames kept him satisfied…

…but in no way did it stop joy from spreading throughout his body when he saw Mike Logan standing in the doorway with an extremely large deli bag.

"And on the seventh day he ate!" Mike said boisterously, walking over to his bedside and dropping the bag on the nightstand. "Morning, Goren," he said, giving a quick nod to Eames as she rose from her chair. "Don't worry, Alex, the doctor said it was ok."

"You drove all the way from NYC to give him a Big Mac?" asked Alex, trying to keep the incoming smile behind her lips.

"Actually it's pastrami on rye…and it's Saturday," Logan shrugged innocently, "I figured you guys could use the company…"

"Thanks," said Bobby, digging through the bag for the sandwich he definitely had no qualms claiming.

"Wheeler and Ross should be here in a few hours too."

"What is this, a party for my retirement?" Goren asked, chuckling after taking another bite.

The other two fell silent, their minds going back to Dr. Regent's prognosis.

"_I think it would be best, maybe temporarily, maybe permanently, if Robert Goren was not a detective."_

Goren looked at them for a second, and then put his food down on the counter.

"You both didn't know that I knew, did you?"

"Bobby," they both said at once, before Alex let Logan speak. "She said it could be only temporarily."

"He's right," chimed Alex, "and soon we could be working again-"

"-_as partners_?"

Alex didn't like the sarcastic sound to his voice. "Yes, as _partners_…what else?"

"Alex, we're involved…"

"I know, but-"

"-and does the brass know?"

Alex sighed. "As of yet, Ross decided it was best not to tell them…wait, was he the one that told you?"

"Yes."

Alex's eyes flashed with sudden anger. "I am going to kill him!" she said, walking over to the corner of the room.

"Why?" asked Bobby calmly as Logan inconspicuously slid into her seat.

"Because he knows that you are not supposed to be stressed out right now, Bobby!"

Bobby gently smiled, and the contentedness that he was showing completely snuffed out the fight in Eames. "I think you are more stressed out than I was…than I am."

Alex walked up to his bedside and took his hand. "You don't want to be my partner anymore?"

The smile that had graced his face left just as quickly. "I love being your partner. I couldn't imagine anything that makes me happier than seeing you each day loving what you do…"

"…but I am tired, Alex. I'm tired of having to do this job day in and day out while it sucks my life away."

Alex took a deep breath before adding, "So you don't want to be a detective." She didn't ask it like a question. She didn't need to. She already knew what his reply would be.

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

She thought on that for a second. She remembered Bobby in the beginning: eager, zelous, attentive…but he was right. Slowly over the years the job had become the one thing that could take a whole Bobby and break him to pieces. It took too much of him to keep him _him…_and at this point that was a risk that neither of them was willing to take.

"What would you do?"

"I don't know…"

"Really?" asked Alex, bringing the sarcasm back. "The great Robert Goren hasn't used his mind to generate an answer?"

That broke Bobby down into a small fit of laughter…until he winced and choked it back. "Lungs," he explained to Mike as Alex mentally kicked herself for exciting him.

"I mean I've thought about it," Bobby said again after taking another bite of his sandwich, "but I'm not quite sure yet."

"Well, what have you thought about?" asked Logan, becoming intrigued with the conversation.

"Um…I was wondering…you both know how I love to solve puzzles, clues, that sort of thing…"

"Goren, spit it out," Alex said curiously.

"I was thinking about maybe teaching criminal profiling at the Academy or a university."

"Really?" asked Alex. She hadn't thought about that, but in hindsight…_who better than Bobby to teach about a criminal's intent._

"I heard Fordham's looking for a professor…" he added.

_Wait…how would he have known about-_

"We're you looking at these jobs when you were suspended?"

Bobby thought a second before taking another bite. "I didn't want you to know at the time, but yeah, I was."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because when I came back and I saw you…I never wanted to leave."

Alex was done questioning; she didn't need Bobby to need her approval…

…all she needed was Bobby to need her.

She looked down at him and gave his hand a squeeze while saying, "It's going to be hard to find a replacement for such a great detective…my next partner might actually be nuttier than you are."

Bobby cracked a smile as Logan stood up, sensing they needed some alone time. "Well, I'm gonna go find some coffee…five hour drives will wear you out."

He walked out of the room whistling to an inane tune, and when the door shut, Alex slid down onto the side of the bed. She combed her fingers through his grayed hair and kissed his lips before asking quietly, "Do you mind if I stay with you?"

"You are staying with me," said Bobby.

"I mean…" Alex started. "I mean when you leave the hospital. The doctor wants someone to look after you."

Bobby stiffened. He knew how difficult the next few months might be; the last thing he wanted to do was make Alex deal with his baggage on a daily basis…especially if he couldn't come to talk about the abuse.

"Are you sure?" he asked, still not ready to discuss what happened.

"Only if you're ready." She looked into his deep brown eyes and tried to will him to understand her position. "I know it's a big step and, well…a lot of things in our relationship have been backwards, but…if you're ready to trust me, then I'm willing to help."

Bobby thought about it. On one hand, he had just been through one of the most traumatic experiences of his life. His confidence was shot to hell. He had been poisoned, imprisoned…and to make matters worse, he still looked back over the length of his life and wondered what he did to deserve it: a mother who never interpreted how to receive his love, a father who never cared to give it, a brother who only knew how to take it…and he knew in some ways he inherited his apprehension of love from his family and his experiences…

…but he also knew that if he had to choose between a safe life without it or confusing, strange, and earth-shatteringly amazing love he would pick the latter. He couldn't see himself without Alex waking up beside him and settling down next to him to sleep; if a few weeks of undercover work could bring two people as close together as they had become, he would willingly go into uncharted territory to make it last.

_Whoever said 'love makes you crazy' was dead on._

"Then I guess I'll have to clear out some closet space," he said before she peppered him with kisses.


	21. Epilogue

Bobby was released from the hospital two days later, and with Alex driving they began the long trek back to the city. The ride was mostly silent; their connection didn't need to be constantly reinforced with endless chatter and Bobby used a lot of the time to sleep. Apart from the occasional touch or nudge, the mere company kept them both satisfied.

At last they pulled up to Goren's house. Alex quickly stepped outside the car and went over to the passenger's side to help him out. Partially supporting his weight, they managed to get inside the building and into his apartment. She let him collapse into the couch in the living room before plopping down next to him.

"You glad to be home?" asked Alex.

"It's been a long time since I've seen the inside of this place," Bobby said, looking around. The books and tables definitely had acquired a thin layer of dust, but otherwise his home was no worse for wear. "I guess I'll have to get used to everything again."

"Yeah," Alex said, turning to face him. "I need to run to my apartment to pick up a few things."

"Alex, you don't have to stay here if you don't-"

"Bobby, please," she said, gently asking, "don't push me away. I want to be here, with you."

"Sorry," he said as he met her gaze. "I guess I'll see you soon."

"I'll be right back," she said, "an hour, tops." She kissed his forehead before standing up and walking through the front door.

As soon as the door closed, a rush of thoughts started making their way through Bobby's head: memories of their early tumultuous partnership, memories of their biggest cases, memories of their biggest failures…Nicole somehow always seemed to creep unconsciously into his thoughts.

"_I don't need to break you now detective…you're already broken. You've been broken."_

His head hammered with the way her ice-cold hands felt on his skin.

"_You'll be breaking into little bits far after tonight."_

He shuddered out a breath before he realized he could barely breathe. He started taking in shallow gasps of air until the blockage in his throat cleared as the bolt clicked and Alex came walking through the door. When he turned to see her she dropped her bags and rushed over to him, her face painted with worry.

"Bobby, what happened?"

She reached up to his face and wiped away the moisture he realized was sweat and tears.

"I…I don't…I'm…sorry."

"Bobby, you were having a panic attack, you shouldn't be apologizing…if it wasn't for Nico-"

"Please, don't say her name," he said in barely a whisper, afraid of what feelings it might bring up.

"Okay," she said, sitting next to him and holding him to her. Even with his more than a foot taller frame, Alex had no problem letting him rest his head against her chest, letting him hear heartbeat. She felt him soften immediately to her touch and his breathing return to normal. "I'm here," she spoke gently as he listened to the steady rhythm, the only assurance that he was not dreaming, that he was home…

…because his home, through covers, danger, and fear, would always be with her.


End file.
